BANGKOK – The bond between the Philippines and Indonesia stays “strong and tight” following an agreement that sets maritime boundaries in their overlapping areas, a Filipino government official said yesterday.
The implementation of the landmark Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of Indonesia Concerning the Delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone Boundary was tackled during a meeting between President Duterte and Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Bangkok Saturday night.
The two leaders met behind closed doors to tackle issues and concerns, including economic and security cooperation, on the sidelines of the 34th Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit.
“The Palace announces the completion of the Philippines’ and Indonesia’s respective domestic requirements which would lead into a landmark agreement concerning the delimitation of the exclusive economic zone boundary between the two countries,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said.
“Both leaders see this development as a clear demonstration of the strong and tight bond between the Philippines and Indonesia, which incidentally are celebrating their 70th anniversary of formal diplomatic and bilateral relations,” he said.
According to Panelo, the maritime boundary pact between the two nations could serve as a benchmark on how to peacefully resolve border disputes of countries.
He said the legal instrument would be “a good precedent” on how to address maritime concerns and settle disputes in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea “bearing in mind the archipelagic nature of the Philippines which inherently shares common borders with many ASEAN member-states.”
“In line with the independent foreign policy course that PRRD charted for our country – where we are friends to all and enemies to none – we hope that this accord would serve as a benchmark for future agreements with other countries with shared or similar concerns as we continue to deepen cooperation with our strategic allies in the region,” Panelo said.
The maritime boundary pact between the Philippines and Indonesia was signed back in 2014 following 20 years of negotiations. It sought to clarify an equitable delimitation of their overlapping exclusive economic zone in the Mindanao Sea and the Celebes Sea.
Apart from the maritime boundary pact, Duterte and Widodo also tackled trade concerns as well as peace and security issues during their bilateral meeting. (Genalyn Kabiling)