VIENTIANE, October 9 - Malaysia and Singapore reached an agreement and achieved progress on some outstanding issues between the two countries, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Wednesday. 

Anwar said the issues were discussed in a bilateral meeting with his Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong on the sidelines of the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and Related Summits here.

Without specifying the pending issues, he said they will be discussed further in the annual Singapore-Malaysia Leaders’ Retreat later this year.

"For almost 40 minutes, PM Lawrence and I discussed several issues related to our countries’ interests, especially exploring the best method to resolving them effectively and as quickly as possible," he said.

Anwar said after the meeting, he and Wong then led a bilateral meeting with ministers and delegations from both countries.

It was previously reported that the outstanding issues between the two countries include airspace control, water issues and the maritime border.

The 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and Related Summits officially opened today until Oct 11.

Laos as ASEAN chairman will hand over the position to Malaysia for 2025.

Malaysia will officially take over as ASEAN chairman on Jan 1, 2025.- BERNAMA