Singapore ready to do more with Middle East partners to deliver aid

Singapore retains a sobering yet hopeful perspective on the escalating conflict in the Middle East and stands ready to extend more humanitarian assistance.

- Bhagyashree' Garekar

The prospects for a quick resolution to the spiralling conflicts are very low, but there is a growing determination to lean in to do more, said Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in an interview on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

Israel's troops are reportedly preparing for a ground invasion of Lebanon after conducting heavy aerial strikes on Hezbollah headquarters in densely populated Beirut that killed its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, on Sept 27 even as the Gaza war approaches its first anniversary on Oct 7.

The grim outlook notwithstanding, Dr Balakrishnan said he has seen a glimmer of hope in meetings with his counterparts at the UNGA.

He was speaking to Singapore media a day before he presents Singapore's national statement at the 79th UNGA session on Sept 28.

"It's clear that the war in Ukraine, the civil war in Sudan and the wars in the Middle East are not going to end in the near future," he said, addressing also the other ongoing global crises.

"I think all my counterparts in the Middle East are ultra-realistic that the prospects for a quick resolution are very, very low.