Yesterday, Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan spoke to the United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Acording to the statement released by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA), the call was to congratulate Pompeo on his new appointment as well as for the two men to touch base before the United States-Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Summit to be held here in June.
Mike Pompeo, the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was sworn in on the 26th of April.
The two men spoke about Singapore’s ASEAN chairmanship priorities, developments in the region and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
Dr Balakrishnan also expressed hope that the summit that involved US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would bring about lasting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
The full statement by the MFA:
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan had an introductory telephone call with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on 16 May 2018 to congratulate him on his new role. Both sides reaffirmed the excellent, longstanding ties between Singapore and the United States. They also discussed Singapore’s ASEAN Chairmanship priorities, regional developments and the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Secretary Pompeo thanked Singapore for hosting the United States-Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Summit on 12 June 2018. Minister Balakrishnan expressed the hope that the historic meeting could contribute towards lasting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Singapore will work closely with the United States and the DPRK to facilitate a smooth meeting. Secretary Pompeo welcomed Minister Balakrishnan’s upcoming visit to Washington DC in June 2018
. . . . . . MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS SINGAPORE 16 MAY 2018
However, updates on the summit show that while Washington is pushing for the denuclearisation of North Korea, Pyongyang said on Wednesday that it would cancel the summit if the United States pressured for it to give up its nuclear arsenal.
obbana@theindependent.sg