Singapore welcomes the release of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Statement on ASEAN's Six-Point Principles on the South China Sea

Singapore welcomes the release of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Statement on ASEAN's Six-Point Principles on the South China Sea. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said that this statement is the result of the unceasing efforts of Indonesia. 

It said this goes some way to repair the damage caused by the failure of the 45th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting to release the Joint Communiqué and helps to restore ASEAN centrality in the regional architecture. 

MFA said Singapore and other like-minded ASEAN Member States had tried very hard to negotiate a consensus during the 45th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on what should be said about the South China Sea issues. 

Responding to media queries, the MFA says Singapore was not one of the states that had taken the position that it was absolutely necessary for the Scarborough Shoal to be specifically mentioned in the Joint Communiqué at the end of the ASEAN ministerial meeting in Cambodia. 

It adds that Singapore as well as other members had made various proposals which did not refer specifically to Scarborough Shoal or other geographical features.