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East Timor: Indonesia and Timor Leste agreed to boost ties, border talks

2016/01/28

Indonesia and Timor Leste agreed to enhance what they both called by instantly-strong bilateral ties on President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s initial national visit to Dili, and as well reiterated a commitment to speeding up land and maritime border resolutions.

Jokowi was in Dili on Tuesday, his initial trip abroad this year, and met with Timor Leste Prime Minister Rui Maria de Araujo and President Taur Matan Ruak.

Jokowi said that not only did Indonesia share a similar desire to Timor Leste to enhance the existing close friendship between the two neighboring nations, but that Jakarta had reaffirmed its “commitment as the major partner in the development of Timor Leste”.

Indonesia and Timor Leste have been negotiating border issues since 2002, any minute at this time next the latter formalized its independence from Indonesia following a UN-supervised referendum held in 1999. Indonesia and Timor Leste have agreed on additional than 900 coordinates as border points, but two land border areas — Noel Besi-Citrana and Bijael Sunan-Oben — remain unresolved.

Indonesia and Timor Leste are committed to speeding up negotiations on borders; in terms of land borders, to instantly solve the two unresolved segments; in terms of maritime borders, to start talks on the segment in northern Timor Leste in the initial quarter of 2016,” Jokowi told a press conference next conference with Araujo.

The two remaining unresolved land border segments are still under ongoing negotiation, although, during a bilateral conference between the Jokowi and Araujo in Jakarta late last year, the two nations agreed to seek to resolve the two segments by the end of last year. At that time, Jakarta and Dili as well agreed to begin negotiating the delimitation of maritime boundaries.

Technical teams from the two nations have as well met to negotiate the land border issues.

According to Araujo, the two nations were indeed committed to resolving the land border issues “in the spirit of goodwill and solidarity”, adding, “We are confident this can be completed very quickly.”

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said that a joint field survey — which aimed to get input from customary groups with the rights to land in unresolved land border segments — was expected to be held next month or in March.

On Tuesday, the two neighboring nations as well signed 5 memorandums of considerate, covering: cooperation on energy, inclunding joint research and study; illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing; youth and sports, inclunding capacity and entrepreneurship building; climatology and geophysics; and archives.

Araujo said that Jokowi’s visit reflected an enhanced, strong and positive bond between the two nations.

“While we have had a difficult completed, today Timor Leste and Indonesia are world models for reconciliation and peace in an increasingly divided world. We share an island and we share a next,” he added.

Before that day, Jokowi held a conference with President Ruak in which he was bestowed the highest Timorese honor, the Grand Collar of the Order.

“This award means a large responsibility for us to maintain a friendship and close cooperation that will mutually benefit Indonesia and Timor Leste,” Jokowi said.

While Ruak as well appreciated Indonesia for supporting Timor Leste’s bid for ASEAN full membership, saying that it would be significant for their efforts to improve their economy and social welfare, inclunding for attracting investment .

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