SINGAPORE, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, the littoral states of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS), have reaffirmed their commitment to keeping the straits open and safe in accordance with international law, Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority said on Friday.
The remarks came during the 34th Meeting of the Aids to Navigation Fund (ANF) Committee held in Singapore, where participants discussed navigational safety in the SOMS, the authority said in a social media post.
"As one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, safety in the SOMS depends on both reliable infrastructure and sustained international cooperation," it said.
ANF Committee Chairman David Foo underscored the importance of continued cooperation amid an evolving and increasingly complex operating environment.
The ANF is one of three pillars of a cooperative mechanism established in 2007 by the three littoral states, with support from the International Maritime Organization, to work with user states and stakeholders to maintain safe and open navigation in the SOMS. ■
