MFA Press Release: Transcript of Minister for Foreign Affairs K Shanmugam’s reply to the Parliamentary Questions No. 236 & 249 (14 Feb 2012)

QUESTION:

Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs with the liberalization and opening up of Myanmar recently, what is the state of Myanmar's bilateral relations with Singapore and the larger ASEAN community.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether ASEAN has set any progress targets for Myanmar before Myanmar takes over the chair of ASEAN in 2014 and, if so, what are these targets.

REPLY:

Sir with your leave I will take the next two questions together. Singapore and Myanmar enjoy good and longstanding bilateral relations. We cooperate well bilaterally and in ASEAN. Recently, the Myanmar President made a State Visit to Singapore. That visit further affirmed the close friendship between our countries. During the visit, Myanmar's Foreign Minister and I signed a Memorandum of Understanding between our two governments on the Singapore-Myanmar Technical Cooperation Programme. This underscores our commitment to support Myanmar with capacity-building in economic and human resources development, as well as public administration.

2 Our belief is that this is a good way to assist, as the need for trained people in many fields is likely to increase in Myanmar. Our cooperation on capacity building and human resource development goes back some way. We have worked with Myanmar under the auspices of the Singapore Cooperation Programme. Myanmar has been one of the largest recipients of our technical assistance. We also made humanitarian contributions after the devastating Cyclone Nargis in 2008. The Myanmar government has appreciated the US$5 million that we disbursed for relief efforts. These included the deployment of a medical team, the building of a hospital, tube-wells, as well as shelters for the Cyclone survivors. Professor Fatimah Lateef was one of the dedicated members of the Singapore medical team that helped the survivors.

3 Bilateral cooperation is not confined at the governmental level. A Singapore Business Federation delegation is currently in Myanmar to explore economic opportunities. We hope to develop more links with Myanmar as the country opens up economically and politically.

4 Members may recall that in 2005, Myanmar voluntarily decided to skip its turn as Chair of ASEAN. At that time, ASEAN Foreign Ministers agreed to allow Myanmar to become the Chairman when it was ready. In October 2011, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, in his capacity as Chair of ASEAN, visited Myanmar to get a sense of ground developments. He delivered a good report that reflected on the positive steps taken by Myanmar. As a result of these positive developments, ASEAN Leaders agreed at their Summit in November 2011 that Myanmar would assume the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2014.

5 Singapore welcomes Myanmar's Chairmanship in 2014. ASEAN has never set any specific preconditions or "progress targets" for any ASEAN Chairmanship. ASEAN has taken the position that Myanmar should be allowed to follow the seven step roadmap it has set for itself. The Chairmanship presents an opportunity for Myanmar to build on its current momentum. As ASEAN Chair, Myanmar will be the external face of ASEAN. It will have to defend not only its own interests and record, but also ASEAN's interests. Myanmar will also have to reassure our external partners that under its Chairmanship, ASEAN would continue to make progress towards an ASEAN Community in 2015. The world will be watching. Given the stakes, I am confident that Myanmar will work hard to make its ASEAN Chairmanship a success. Singapore will offer to work with Myanmar to ensure successful outcomes under its 2014 Chairmanship.

Supplementary Questions:

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: Sir, let me just thank the Minister for his reply. I would like to ask the Minister that yes, we are encouraged by the progress and by the reform that is made by the Myanmar government currently now. In the event that they do not follow through with the 7 steps roadmap that you have highlighted or in the event that they regress back in their reforms in the next two years itself, will there be any possibility of ASEAN reviewing the Chairmanship of Myanmar?

Minister: Sir, in foreign policy terms, these are hypothetical questions as to what might happen and what ASEAN might do, the 10 members of ASEAN, should Myanmar fail to do certain things. First, I think we should acknowledge the current position which is that that there had been significant developments in Myanmar which I have put on record and we should encourage those developments. I think if the course changes, we must look at that and consider and we will cross that bridge when we come to it.

Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef: Thank you sir and thank you Minister for the response. We know that there are long-standing economic sanctions especially by the West on their part. So I am wondering how crucial to the ASEAN members, and also what the Minister thinks, are the uplifting of sanctions will open up the region even further.

Minister: ASEAN Foreign Ministers called for the lifting of sanctions and we were quite unequivocal about it recently. We have always believed that sanctions may not be the best way to deal with the situation in Myanmar. In my recent visit to the United States, I said that publicly as well as with various influential Congressmen and women that I have met. The United States, as members might note, has made a number of reciprocal gestures as well in the context of its dealings with Myanmar. The lifting of sanctions is to be seen in the context not so much of opening of the region as a whole but primarily to be seen in the interests of Myanmar. And in the secondary context, when we do talk about the ASEAN Community in 2015, creating a centre of 600 million people, creating physical and social connectivities, obviously sanctions against any particular member is not the most helpful. So in a number of contexts, we have always indicated that sanctions ought to be lifted. And I think increasingly the response both by the United States and the Europe Union has been positive.

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