Telly Nathalia, Bangkok – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo met the president of the Phillippines Rodrigo Duterte on the sideline of the Asean Summit in Bangkok on Saturday to sign off on a maritime border agreement between the two countries.
"President Duterte and Widodo lauded the completion of the two countries' respective domestic requirements for the entry into force of the 'Philippines-Indonesia Agreement Concerning the Delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone Boundary.' This landmark accord is an outstanding example of a peaceful and rule-based limitation of maritime borders," Duterte's spokesman Salvador Panelo said.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the exchange of documents for the agreement will happen during a visit by Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr. to Indonesia in August.
The two presidents also discussed further security cooperation in the pirate-infested Sulu Sea, which borders the southeastern portion of the Philippines with Indonesia.
Rebels in southern Philippines, such as the Abu Sayyaf militia, have been known to kidnap Indonesian fishermen for ransom.
"President Jokowi appreciated [the Philippine government's] cooperation in releasing Indonesian hostages [kidnapped by the militia]," Retno said.
Jokowi and Duterte also discussed possible improvements in trade and investment between the two neighbors.
Jokowi also met Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during the four-day summit.