JAKARTA, July 31 — Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim reaffirmed their commitment to resolving outstanding bilateral boundary issues and welcomed the progress made on land and maritime delimitation.

They also pledged continued cooperation to finalise the remaining unresolved matters.

In a joint statement following the 13th Annual Consultation in Jakarta on Tuesday, both leaders tasked relevant agencies to maintain the momentum in addressing unresolved areas, including Pulau Sebatik and the Sulawesi Sea, and underscored the importance of enhancing border connectivity and cross-border trade.

“Malaysia is of the position that the remaining land boundary in the Eastern Sector namely the intertidal area at the east coast of Pulau Sebatik needs to be resolved,” stated the joint statement. 

Prabowo and Anwar tasked the Joint Indonesia-Malaysia Boundary Committee to continue negotiations of the Outstanding Boundary Problem (OBP) in the Western Sector (West Kalimantan-Sarawak).

The statement released by Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday stated the two leaders reaffirmed “their determination to conclude the boundary issue at the intertidal area and the gap from the low water line to Point M in the Sulawesi Sea.”

They were also satisfied with the positive progress made on the issue of land demarcation, particularly the signing of the memorandum of understandings (MoUs) on the Demarcation and Survey of the International Boundary for OBP during the 45th Meeting of the Joint Indonesia-Malaysia Boundary Committee in Jakarta from February 17 to 18.

After more than 45 years of negotiations and with the signing of these MoUs, the land border OBP in the Eastern Sector (North Kalimantan-Sabah) has been fully agreed upon by both countries.

Prabowo and Anwar also welcomed the Malaysian Government’s plan to open the Serikin Immigration, Customs, Quarantine, and Security Complex (ICQS) in border areas, particularly between Sarawak and West Kalimantan. as a counterpart of the Jagoi Babang Cross-Border Post on the Indonesian side is already operational.

“The opening of the Serikin ICQS will create greater access for cross-border trade, particularly for strategic agricultural commodities such as rice and grain corn.

“This is a concrete step that will positively impact the welfare of communities on both sides of the border and encourage the strengthening of the overall economic relationship between Indonesia and Malaysia,” the leaders said.

They also reaffirmed their commitment in ensuring compliance by relevant law enforcement agencies with the MoU on Common Guidelines concerning the Treatment of Fishermen by maritime law enforcement agencies agreed in 2012.

“Both sides called for closer cooperation and continuous open channels of communication by the authorities on both sides to safeguard the safety and protect the livelihood of the fishermen from both countries,” the leaders said and expressed their hope that the 11th Review Meeting could be convened in 2025 to be hosted by Indonesia. — Bernama