KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and Indonesia are still studying the possibility of a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) to address the maritime boundary dispute in the Sulawesi Sea, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
He said the JDA is an initial effort to find the best solution for both countries, with no details finalised at this stage.
“It is still under early discussion between both countries and any decision must be mutually beneficial,” he said during a question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Mohamad said the federal government continues to work closely with the Sabah government in all negotiations related to maritime delimitation between Malaysia and Indonesia.
He was responding to a question from Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis (Warisan-Kota Belud) regarding the proposed JDA in blocks ND 6 and ND 7 in the Sulawesi Sea, and whether it would follow the Malaysia-Thailand Joint Development Authority (MTJDA) model or another approach, considering that the rights of Sabah and Sarawak are protected under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
Mohamad Hasan reiterated that the federal government values Sabah’s views to ensure Malaysia’s sovereignty and interests are protected.
He said maritime boundary discussions are conducted carefully and based on legal and technical principles.
Responding to a question on briefing Sabah MPs and assemblymen on the issue, Mohamad said the Foreign Ministry’s Maritime Affairs Department is ready to brief Parliament members and Sabah representatives to prevent misunderstandings and slander.
“We will arrange a suitable date to avoid the issue becoming a thorn in the flesh or a source of slander, especially ahead of the Sabah state election,” he said.
On the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling over the Sipadan and Ligitan islands, Mohamad said the decision is unrelated to the Sulawesi Sea dispute.
The ruling only concerned the determination of a straight coordinate line at four minutes 10 seconds, based on the positions of Sipadan and Ligitan Islands, and did not refer to the Sulawesi Sea.
“Like the Batu Puteh ruling, the ICJ decision involved only the specific territory, not the surrounding areas. Negotiations with Indonesia on the JDA continue and there will be no unilateral decisions,” he said.
Legally, Malaysia follows the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS), which defines the baseline or intertidal zone based on the lowest tide level.
“Indonesia argues that the area is sea at high tide, but Malaysia adheres to the internationally recognised interpretation based on low tide,” Mohamad said. – Bernama
