In a statement, Singapore’s foreign affairs ministry said the “intrusion” by Osman, who was on a visit to the border area made the 14th meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee for Iskandar Malaysia (JMCIM) “untenable”.
This comes amid a maritime dispute between Malaysia and Singapore.
“Singapore therefore proposed to postpone the JMCIM meeting, and Malaysia agreed,” said a ministry spokesman.
Osman has refuted reports from Singapore media claiming he entered the island republic’s waters while visiting the maritime border area to see how the Malaysian security forces carried out their duties.
Singapore media had claimed that five Malaysian authority vessels were seen entering Singapore waters on Wednesday.
This came just one day after the two countries agreed to set up working groups to address maritime disputes and airspace issues.
Osman said Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had stated there were Malaysian surveillance vessels in the area.
“So, I do not think I need to tell Singapore about the visit because we did not enter the country,” he was quoted as saying in a Bernama report.
The committee was set up in 2007 to study how both countries can work together in the South Johor economic zone of Iskandar.
The Malaysian team at this year’s meeting was to be led by Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali, Osman and other Johor state leaders.
In TANAH RATA, Azmin said Malaysia is on the same page as Singapore over the postponement of the JMCIM meeting scheduled for Monday.
He said this was because of certain issues from the meeting which were closely related to matters raised in a bilateral meeting between Foreign Affairs Minister Saifuddin Abdullah and his Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan last Tuesday.
Azmin will be holding meetings with Balakrishnan and the republic’s National Development Minister Lawrence Wong tomorrow and on Monday to further discuss the matters raised before they are brought to the next JMCIM meeting.
“Since the meeting (between the two foreign ministers) has just taken place and both countries have issued a positive joint statement, I do not want to interfere with the process by having the JMCIM meeting now.
“So it’s a good idea to defer it,” he told Bernama when met at SMK Sultan Ahmad Shah, the nomination centre for the Cameron Highlands by-election here today.