Retno hopes Malaysia-Indonesia maritime and land boundary MOU will be finalised next year

JAKARTA: Indonesia hopes that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on sea and land borders with Malaysia would be finalised next year, said Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.

She said border negotiations in the Sulawesi Sea and the southernmost part of the Straits of Malacca have been held since 2005, as well as the land border on Sabah's Sebatik Island in Malaysia and North Kalimantan in Indonesia.

"We aim to sign the MoU next year," she said at a press conference with Malaysia's Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir after a bilateral meeting here, Thursday.

The meeting also discussed efforts to boost trade and investment relations by improving sea and air links via the Dumai-Melaka economic corridor and the Kualanamu International Airport in Medan.

"I also suggest the importance of increasing interaction between our private sector by revitalising the Indonesia-Malaysia Business Council," said Retno.

Zambry is in Indonesia on a three-day official visit, accompanied by the Charge d'Affaires of the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta, Adlan Mohd Shaffieq and Wisma Putra Southeast Asia Division Secretary Roseli Abdul.

-- BERNAMA