SINGAPORE: Foreign Minister George Yeo expressed confidence in the strong ties between Singapore and Malaysia, saying that the outcome of the Malaysian elections will not affect bilateral relations.

"All democracies go through ups and downs, and electoral outcomes are not always easy to predict. (The) important thing is for a government to respond to the wishes of the people, and to stay in touch with them. And I'm sure the BN (Barison Nasional) government will draw the right lessons and make the adjustments," Mr Yeo said.

He also said Singapore looks forward to continued cooperation with Malaysia on cross-straits and regional issues.

He said: "We'll continue to cooperate with them on building a strong ASEAN, which is in both our interests. I'm sure the IDR (Johor's Iskandar Development Region) project will still be supported by both sides.

"And in all, the other areas where we're working together, we'll continue to work together."

The foreign minister was speaking at the opening of the inaugural Raffles International Conference on Education at Raffles Junior College on Monday morning.

The two-day conference attracted close to 500 education professionals from the region.