Malaysia, Indonesia sign maritime border agreements

Indonesian President Joko Widodo, center, walks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim as they visit a local wet market in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, June 8, 2023. Malaysia and Indonesia signed agreements Thursday aimed at resolving longstanding maritime border disputes and vowed to enhance cooperation to fight highly detrimental discriminatory measures against palm oil.

The Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim witnessed the signing of two significant treaties on the delimitation of the nations' territorial seas in parts of the Straits of Malacca and the Sulawesi Sea. Other pacts signed by the U.S. included a plan to enhance border crossings, enhance border trade, and encourage investment.

After 18 years of negotiations, praise be to God, it has finally been resolved, Widodo said at a joint news conference in reference to the sea treaties.

Widodo arrived in Malaysia on Wednesday with his wife and cabinet ministers after a short visit to Singapore. Anwar's visit is another addition to his planned trip to Indonesia in January, shortly after Anwar took office.

In a joint statement after their meeting, the leaders said the signing of the treaties will establish a strong foundation for future maritime boundary negotiations. The ministers said they would resolve other land boundary issues by June 2024.

The two leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to cooperation closely to battle the European Union's highly detrimental discriminatory measures against palm oil. The EU has urged the EU to work towards a fair and equitable resolution. We will speak in one voice to defend the palm oil industry, he said.

The EU has enacted a new law banning the import of products that are associated with deforestation, which is expected to impact both Malaysia and Indonesia. The two countries, which account for 85% of global palm oil production, sent a joint mission to Brussels last week to try and resolve the issue with the EU.

Jokowi said the two countries agreed to set up a mechanism to better protect Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia. Over two million foreign workers in Malaysia are mostly Indonesians, mostly in plantations, industries and maids.