Malaysia and Indonesia sign maritime treaty, settle border dispute and unite against discriminatory palm oil measures.
Posted on – Thu, 08 Jun 23 at 03:28pm
Putrajaya: Malaysia and Indonesia signed an agreement on Thursday to end a long-running maritime border dispute and vowed to step up cooperation to fight “highly harmful discriminatory” measures against palm oil.
Visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim witnessed the signing of two landmark treaties demarcating territorial waters between the two countries in the Straits of Malacca and parts of the Sulawesi Sea.
Other agreements signed include plans to improve border crossings, enhance border trade and boost investment.
“After 18 years of negotiations … thank God it is finally resolved,” Widodo said of the maritime treaty at a joint news conference.
Widodo arrived in Malaysia on Wednesday, accompanied by his wife and cabinet ministers, after a short visit to Singapore. His two-day visit echoes Anwar’s visit to Indonesia in January, shortly after Anwar took office.
In a joint statement issued after the meeting, the leaders of the two countries stated that the signing of the treaty will lay a solid foundation for future maritime border negotiations. They pledged to resolve other land border issues by June 2024.
The two leaders also reiterated their position to work closely together to counter the EU’s “highly harmful discriminatory measures” against palm oil. They urged the EU to work towards a “fair and equitable solution”.
“We will work together to defend the palm oil industry,” Anwar told a news conference.
The European Union this year introduced a new law banning the import of goods linked to deforestation, a move expected to hit Malaysia and Indonesia. The two countries, which together account for 85 percent of global palm oil production, reportedly sent a joint delegation to Brussels last week to try to resolve the issue with the EU.
The two countries also agreed to establish a mechanism to better protect Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia, Jokowi said, without giving details.
Indonesians make up the majority of Malaysia’s more than 2 million foreign workers, mainly in plantation, industry and domestic work.
