Fadel made the statement at his office when receiving his Timor Leste counterpart Mariano Assanami Sabino.
In a bid to increase marine and fisheries resources capacity between the two countries, Fadel said his office would send marine experts to Timor Leste to train the country`s men in the management of marine and fisheries resources.
Indonesia and Timor Leste are the members of Regional Plan of Action (RPOA) in dealing with Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing in the two countries.
So far the two countries have yet to have special cooperation in the management of IUU fishing.
Meanwhile, Mariano said Timor Leste at present has only three patrol boats and therefore it wanted to have a joint operation with Indonesia to eradicate illegal fishing boats in its waters.
Seen from trade balance of fishery products from the two countries, Indonesia was still surplus because it did not import fishery products from Timor Leste.
In 2009 fishery export value from Indonesia to Timor Leste was recorded at US$2,109 million or rose from US$1.361 million in the previous year.
While up to November 2010 fishery export to Timor Leste reached US41.9 million.
Indonesia has an interest with Timor Leste because the country is one of the target in the export of fishery product.
Fishery commodity exported to Timor Leste included shrimps, tuna fish, pearls and seaweed.
Indonesia will continue to export is fishery products to Timor Leste this year.
Meanwhile, the cooperation in research and marine resources management would be conducted through Arafura-Timor Seas Expert Forum (ATSEF).
Such a forum is intended to help the stakeholders at Arafura Sea and Timor Sea in an effort to develop sustainable livelihoods, and to manage the fisheries and marine resources in wise and sustainable manner.
The activities that have been conducted through ATSEF Forum covered Trans-boundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) at Arafura Sea and Timor Sea.
(Uu.O001/HAJM/O001)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
