New York – Portugal has formally denounced a new agreement between Australia and Indonesia on the "permanent" demarcation of an exclusive economic zone in the Timor Sea.

A United Nations document on the matter was obtained by LUSA in New York on Wednesday.

According to the document, Portugal filed a diplomatic protest to the Australian government about the issue on 28 August.

Portugal does not recognise the delimitation agreement because it violates the statute of East Timor as a non-autonomous territory, apart from infringing the rights of people of East Timor and Portugal's status as the territory's administering power recognised by the United Nations.

East timor has been occupied by Indonesia since December 1975.