"The two countries are committed to intensifying their discussions on their maritime borders , namely the borders of their respective exclusive economic zones . The discussions have so far already been conducted for several rounds, and as expected by the Indonesian president and Vietnamese prime minister, they will be completed as soon as possible," Marty said here on Wednesday.
Marty made the statement after accompanying President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at a meeting with visiting Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung at the Merdeka Palace on Wednesday morning.
He said a country`s exclusive economic zone comprised waters stretching over a distance of 200 miles from its coastline.
The minister said the commitment to completing the exclusive economic zone border talks began to be voiced when President Yudhoyono visited Vietnam in 2010, but now the two sides had agreed to speed up the talks and finalize them within the next four months.
"It is important in a sense of wider context because we want to show other countries in the region that border problems can be solved through negotiations," Marty said.
He said an agreement concerning maritime boundaries between countries could not be achieved overnight because it should go through special forums and procedures.
Marty expressed hope that that the procedure and the forum could run smoothly so that the two countries would have mutual understanding about their maritime borders.
Concerning the maritime borders, Marty said the two countries had also agreed to step up cooperation in maintaining maritime security by conducting border patrols to prevent or counter various kinds of criminal activity. (Uu.O001/HAJM)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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