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Legislator Sukamta, Indonesian House of Representatives' (DPR RI's) Commission I member, urged the government to make the document of Flight Information Region (FIR) agreement between the governments of Indonesia and Singapore accessible to the public.

"Agreements made with other countries are included in the category of public policy because they concern the lives of many people and also involve state sovereignty. The agreement documents related to extradition, airspace services, and defense cooperation that have been signed must be made accessible to the public," Sukamta noted in his statement here on Tuesday.

Sukamta remarked that the government's explanation on the FIR agreement, so far, concerned the points of the agreement and not the texts of the official document that had been signed.

The Natuna Islands and Riau Islands are very strategic for Indonesia, so the public is optimistic that sovereignty on land, sea, and air is within the scope of control of the Indonesian side, according to the legislator.

"Based on agreements contained in the UNCLOS III 1982 and the Chicago Convention 1944, state sovereignty in the air space above the territory is exclusive. This means the air space over the Natuna Islands and Riau is Indonesian sovereignty," he remarked.

Hence, based on this claim, the Indonesian side should be in charge of the management of FIR in the area, he stated.

Sukamta is optimistic that the agreement document, or MoU, would be accessible to the public, so that all parties would be able to provide an objective assessment of the points of the agreement that had been signed.

On January 25, 2022, the Indonesian and Singaporean governments had approved agreements on extradition, Flight Information Region (FIR), and defense cooperation.

"The new extradition agreement extends the retroactive period, from 15 years to 18 years," President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) noted in a joint press statement with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong after attending the Indonesian-Singaporean Leaders' Retreat in Riau Islands Province.

"Meanwhile, the signing of the FIR agreement makes the Jakarta FIR to cover the territorial airspace over Riau Islands and Natuna Islands," the Indonesian president stated.

Since 1946, the areas were under the Singapore FIR, as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) assessed that Indonesia had not been able to regulate air traffic in the areas.

The regulation necessitates Indonesian aircraft to report to Singaporean authorities if they are looking to fly over the area.

Hence, the Indonesian government is striving to take over the areas from the Singapore FIR to strengthen international recognition of Indonesia, as an archipelagic country, which has full and exclusive sovereignty on the airspace above its territory. Under the agreement on airspace management, Singapore and Indonesia have agreed to realign the boundary between the Jakarta Flight Information Region (FIR) and Singapore FIR.

Indonesia will delegate to Singapore regarding the provision of air navigation services in portions of the airspace within the realigned Jakarta FIR. This agreement will remain in force for 25 years and can be extended by mutual consent. (Antaranews)