Singapore Calls For Global Effort To Address Maritime Challenges

By Tengku Noor Shamsiah Tengku Abdullah SINGAPORE, May 20 (Bernama) -- Singapore has urged the global community to undertake concerted efforts to address maritime challenges such as territorial disputes, terrorism threat and piracy. In making the call, Defence Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen said many experts and security analysts had commented that any disruption to maritime trade routes in this part of the world would affect not only Singapore, but the global economy, as well. He said all countries therefore, shared a collective interest to keep regional sea lines of communication open and secure. "To do this effectively, we should make efforts to address three maritime security challenges that can be potentially disruptive," he said in his address at the opening of the 10th International Maritime Defence Exhibition Asia 2015 (IMDEX Asia) at the Changi Exhibition Centre here Tuesday. Touching on maritime territorial disputes, Dr Ng said, as a non-claimant state, Singapore took no sides in those disputes occurring in the South China Sea. He said territorial disputes, terrorism and piracy could not be solved by any single state, no matter how large or well-resourced. "It will require concerted efforts from the global community with vested interests. "We must continue to have dialogues and practical cooperation through multilateral platforms such as the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and ADMMPlus, ASEAN Regional Forum, as well as the Shangri-La Dialogue so that we can forge understanding, if not trust and confidence." The minister said they also needed practical measures that reduced miscalculations at seas, based on internationally accepted norms and legal frameworks. He said ASEAN and China should also expeditiously conclude the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea. Integral to this, noted Dr Ng, was information sharing which the Republic of Singapore Navy’s Information Fusion Centre (IFC) sought to facilitate. Since its inauguration in 2009, the IFC has established linkages with 65 operation centres in 35 countries, and international liaison officers from 16 countries are currently deployed at the IFC. IMDEX Asia 2015, aimed at strengthening maritime security cooperation, sees the participation of 52 delegations from the navies, air forces and maritime enforcement agencies of 40 countries, and 180 exhibitors from around the world. Twenty warships from 12 countries are taking part in this year's IMDEX Asia Warships Display. -- BERNAMA