Malaysia and Indonesia signed agreements Thursday that ended longstanding maritime border disputes.
And vowed to bolster cooperation to fight “highly detrimental discriminatory” measures against palm oil.
Visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim witnessed the signing of two landmark treaties on the delimitation of the nations’ territorial seas in parts of the Straits of Malacca and the Sulawesi Sea.
Other signed pacts included plans to improve border crossings, strengthen border trade and promote investment.
Thus, Widodo arrived in Malaysia on Wednesday accompanied by his wife and Cabinet ministers after a short visit to Singapore.
His two-day visit reciprocates Anwar’s trip to Indonesia in January, shortly after Anwar took office.
In a joint statement after their meeting, the leaders said the signing of the treaties. This will also provide a strong foundation for future maritime boundary negotiations. They pledged to resolve other land boundary issues by June 2024.
The EU introduced a new law this year banning the import of commodities linked to deforestation. A move that likely to hit Malaysia and Indonesia.
The two countries, which jointly account for 85% of global palm oil output. It reportedly sent a joint mission to Brussels last week to try and resolve the matter with the EU.