One step forward, never a step back
One step forward, never a step back | The Star
By MOHD HAZMI MOHD RUSLI and AND I MADE ANDI ARSANA
- BUSINESS
- Thursday, 06 Jul 2023
Good example: Anwar (left) and Jokowi chatting during the Indonesian president’s recent visit. The two countries have once again set a good example of how disputes between neighbours can be solved peacefully through negotiation. — AP
After almost two decades of negotiations, Indonesia and Malaysia have finally reached an agreement on maritime delimitation in the southern portion of the Strait of Malacca toward the Singapore Strait and the territorial sea boundary in the Sulawesi Sea.
This deal was part of a number of agreements signed by the two countries during President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s visit to Malaysia on June 8.
Is this a step forward for both nations in finalising their unresolved maritime boundaries since achieving independence?
Article 3 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (LOSC) clearly states that a coastal state may claim up to 12 nautical miles (approximately 22 kms) of territorial sea from the baseline of the coastal state…..