Jakarta – Indonesia and Timor Leste (East Timor) have agreed to establish a permanent border crossing (PLB) for traditional communities that live on the border between the two countries to strengthen kinship ties and to preserve peace.

The third Indonesia-Timor Leste border meeting was conducted in Atambua, in Belu district, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) yesterday. The Indonesian delegation was led by the Commander of the Border Security Task Force (Satgas Pamtas) for NTT-Timor Leste, Colonel Aris Setia Budi. While the Belu District Administrator, Joachim Lopez and the Deputy-District Administrator, Gregorius Mau Bili Fernandez acted like house guests.

"Participants in the meeting agreed to establish the PLB for the traditional communities that live in the border region between NTT and Timor Leste and to reopen the border markets in Turiskain, Motamasin and Mota'ain that the communities from both regions have been waiting on," explained Gregorius while reading the results of the meeting.

Apart from that, they also agreed to conduct routine meetings every three months which would include (representatives from) the Belu, Bobonaro and Covalima district administrations as well as the Northern Central (TTU) and Oecussi enclave district administrations.

[BBC Monitoring International Reports.]