PH, Indonesia sign maritime boundary agreement

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa and Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario. AP file Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe

MANILA, Philippines – Indonesia and the Philippines signed an agreement Friday that clarifies the overlapping maritime boundaries in the Mindanao and Celebes sea.

The agreement, which was signed by Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and Indonesian Foreign Minister Dr. R.M. Marty M. Natalegawa, took 20 years of negotiations between both countries to delimit their respective Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ)

“The Agreement includes the annexed charts showing the EEZ Boundary of the Philippines and Indonesia in the Mindanao Sea and Celebes Sea in the southern Philippines and in the Philippine Sea on the southern section of the Pacific Ocean,” DFA said in a statement.

“It is the result of 20 years of negotiation to delimit the overlapping EEZs of the two countries. The Agreement is a milestone for Philippines-Indonesia relations as the EEZ Boundary will open opportunities for closer cooperation in the preservation and protection of the rich marine environment in the area, increased trade and enhanced maritime security,” it said.

The agreement is the first maritime boundary treaty of the Philippines and gives fishermen and other stakeholders a clear extent of the area where they can exercise the sovereign rights over the waters as provided for by national laws and treaties including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law if the Sea (UNCLOS).

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