"I want to emphasize that the Natuna Islands belong to Indonesia, and Indonesia`s sovereignty over the islands is indisputable," Marsudi affirmed.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi emphasized that the Natuna Islands, located on the northwestern tip of Indonesia close to the island of Kalimantan, indisputably belong to Indonesia.

"I want to emphasize that the Natuna Islands belong to Indonesia, and Indonesias sovereignty over the islands is indisputable," Marsudi affirmed here on Thursday.

China claimed ownership of the Natuna Islands, which face the South China Sea, when it announced its horseshoe group of islands in the South China Sea in November 2015.

In the Foreign Affairs Ministers Annual Press Statement, Marsudi explained that the outermost islands of the Natuna archipelago were made the baseline of the Indonesian territory as stipulated in the 1957 Juanda Declaration.

Moreover, in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982, the baseline had been registered in the UN in 2009.

In accordance with these baselines, Marsudi stated that Indonesia had overlapping claims on the continental shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) with only two countries: Malaysia and Vietnam.

"The claims over the continental shelf have already been settled. At the moment, we are negotiating the resolution of the EEZs delimitation," she revealed.

Besides emphasizing the sovereignty on Natuna Islands, Marsudi remarked that Indonesia will continue to encourage the finalization of the Code of Conduct (CoC) on the South China Sea.

As a non-claimant state, Indonesia will also continue to encourage claimant states to settle disputes amicably.

"In the region closer to home, peace and stability in the South China Sea is very important," Marsudi affirmed.

Among the ten Association South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore are the claimants to the South China Sea.

"Therefore, Indonesia has urged all parties to refrain from any activities that may escalate tensions," Marsudi noted.

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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