JAKARTA: The Malaysia-Indonesia land and maritime boundary negotiations, which have dragged on for decades, are now in the final stages of agreement and will be brought to both countries' top leaders for finalisation as early as this August.
This was confirmed by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan after chairing the 17th Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) Meeting at Gedung Pancasila, at Indonesia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, here.
"Some are old issues, involving land and maritime boundaries, which I'm confident are in the final stages of agreement to be presented for negotiation and agreement by both leaders," he told the media.
He said technical achievements in the 17th JCBC will be the main item presented to the annual leaders' consultation forum featuring Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his Indonesian counterpart, Prabowo Subianto.
"Insha-Allah (God willing), at the end of the year, both leaders will hold their annual consultation," he said.
The meeting also saw both sides agree to accelerate their commitment, particularly in the strategic sector, to tackle the global supply chain disruption.
Mohamad Hasan said the discussions resulted in an agreement that paves the way to further elevate the existing relationship between Malaysia and Indonesia.
He also emphasised the need for Asean to increase intra-regional trade, following the lessons learned from the Middle East crisis and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Mohamad said intra-Asean trade currently stands below 25 per cent, which is far below the region's true potential.
Meanwhile, Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono said both countries are making various efforts to maintain regional stability and contribute to global peace initiatives.
The meeting also serves as an important foundation ahead of the 14th Annual Consultation between Malaysia and Indonesia, which will be hosted by Malaysia later this year. - NST
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