JAKARTA, Indonesia—Indonesia and the Philippines signed an agreement on Tuesday to improve cooperation in fighting transnational crime, with Indonesia emphasizing the importance of depriving terrorists safe havens.

President Benigno Aquino III and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono inked a deal at the Merdeka Palace to improve intelligence gathering and sharing, coordinated sea and air patrols, and training.

“There shouldn’t be safe havens for terrorists and other transnational crimes,” Yudhoyono said in a press conference with President Aquino.

Yudhoyono, a former army general, said “leaders” of terror groups have been “freely moving” across the region.

Aquino said “it would be a crime” if regional leaders did not cooperate with each other on decimating terrorists since the terrorists themselves have been coordinating on a national, regional and even global level.