VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

IndonesianForeign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi held a bilateral meeting with Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah at Gedung Pancasila, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jakarta, on Monday (23/7). It was the first bilateral meeting between Saifuddin Abdullah and Marsudi after he officially inaugurated as Malaysian Foreign Affairs Minister on July 2, 2018. The settlement of border areas between Indonesia and Malaysia becomes one of the issues discussed in the bilateral meeting. Through a press statement with Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abullah, Retno Marsudi said that Indonesia and Malaysia agreed to prioritize the settlement of border issues through the negotiation technical team which has been previously established.

“By sharing land and sea boundaries, the issue of state boundary resolution has always been a priority. Therefore, negotiations must be intensified so that the issues can be solved. Indonesian President also delivered a message this morning about the importance of solving the border issues. We agree to provide full mandate to the technical team, to intensify the negotiations,” Retno Marsudi said.

Before holding the bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, Minister Saifuddin Abdullah firstly met with President Joko Widodo at Bogor Palace, in Bogor, West Java. At the meeting President Joko Widodo conveyed several priority issues between the two countries that must be resolved, including the border issues. Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah's visit to Indonesia lasted from July 20 – 23, 2018. Besides holding bilateral meetings with Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and President Joko Widodo, the Malaysian Foreign Minister also held a meeting with former President of Indonesia, BJ Habibie and Chairman of the House of Representatives (DPR-RI). Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abudllah is also scheduled to attend a scientific discussion held by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Jakarta. (VOI/Rezha/Trs.N/DP)