RI-Malaysia Commitment To Complete Border Disputes Including In Ambalat

JAKARTA - Minister of Defense (Menhan) Prabowo Subianto and Malaysian Defense Minister Da'to Main Series Haji Mohamad bin Haji Hasan are committed to resolving border disputes between the two countries to completion, including in the Ambalat Block.

"Essentially, with the commitment of our head of government, that we want to solve all the problems that exist in us with a family approach, a friendly approach as a neighbor who will solve all problems as well as possible. Almost all problems are almost finished. I think so," said Prabowo Subiantoesai at the 43rd Malaysia-Indonesia General Border Committee (GBC Malindo) meeting in Jakarta.

Meanwhile, Mohamad answered that the relationship between Indonesia and Malaysia has been based on the spirit of brotherhood and friendship, so he is optimistic that negotiations related to border disputes can be completed soon.

"Hopefully, (this) won't take a long time," said Mohamad.

The commitment to resolve the border problem was also conveyed by Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Malaysian Prime Minister (PM) AnwarIbrahim when the two met in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on June 8, 2023.

Jokowi and Anwar announced that Indonesia and Malaysia had negotiated on national boundaries in the southern part of the Malacca Strait and the Sulawesi Sea; while for land borders in Sebatik and Sinapad, both hope to be completed soon.

Meskipun demikian, kesepakatan dalam pertemuan di Putrajaya itu belum mencakup masalah batas laut di Blok Ambalat.

The Ambalat Block is an area of 15,235 square kilometers located in the Sulawesi Sea or Makassar Strait and borders Malaysian waters.

Compiled from several media in Malaysia, including the Malaysian News office Named, Malaysian officials stated that the agreement on the sea boundary between Indonesia and Malaysia in the Sulawesi Sea does not cover the Ambalat Block, which Malaysia calls the ND6 and ND7 Blocks.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (Wamenlu) of Malaysia Datuk Muhammad Alamin in August 2023 emphasized that Indonesia and Malaysia have not negotiated regarding maritime boundaries in Ambalat, especially regarding the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the continental shelf of the two countries.

So far, Indonesia and Malaysia are still claiming full sovereignty in the two water areas.

The border issue in Ambalat arose due to overlapping EEZ waters and continental takeoff between the two countries whose measurements refer to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

In UNCLOS 1982, each country has full sovereignty over waters as far as 200 nautical miles from the EEZe coast following its seabed (continent land) which is more than 200 nautical miles away.

However, Indonesia and Malaysia share water areas with adjacent international distances, so that the ZEE overlap and continental takeoff also occur.

The dispute between the two countries in the Ambalat Block was heating up in 1979 when Malaysia violated the Continent Landas Boundary Agreement agreed on 27 October 1969. In the agreement, the two countries agreed that the Ambalat Block was part of Indonesian territory.