KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia and Singapore have taken another step to strengthen cooperation in alternative dispute resolution (ADR), reflecting the close relationship between the two countries' legal and dispute resolution sectors.
The enhanced partnership was formalised through the signing of two memoranda of understanding (MOUs) between the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) and the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC), as well as between the Singapore International Mediation Centre (SIMC) and AIAC.
Singapore Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs Edwin Tong said the agreements demonstrate both countries' commitment to providing businesses and investors with reliable, efficient and effective ways to resolve disputes.
“As cross-border trade and investment continue to grow, collaboration between dispute resolution institutions becomes increasingly important.
“These partnerships will create more opportunities for exchanges, knowledge-sharing, and joint initiatives, while strengthening the region's dispute resolution ecosystem,” he said in a statement on June 3.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by Tong and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said following a meeting in Putrajaya.
The agreements build on discussions held between the two ministers during the Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting in Fiji in February this year, where they explored ways to deepen cooperation in dispute resolution services.
According to Singapore's Ministry of Law, Tong and Azalina reaffirmed the strong and longstanding ties between Malaysia and Singapore during their meeting.
The ministers also exchanged views on several areas of mutual interest, including the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone, the Singapore Convention on Mediation and efforts to strengthen people-to-people relations between the two countries
