Daniel A. Fajri, Jakarta – Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi welcomed a visit by her Timor Leste counterpart Adaljiza Magno in Jakarta on Wednesday, January 11, 2023. A number of issues were discussed at the bilateral meeting, such as opportunities to boost economic partnership and settlement of land boundaries between the two.

Regarding economic cooperation, the two ministers talked about the plan to follow up on the Joint Industrial Park development project. Retno and Adaljiza agreed to start discussing a Joint Free Trade Zone agreement in the border industrial area between Oecusse District and East Nusa Tenggara Province.

The meeting with Adaljiza was held after Retno delivered the ministry's annual press statement at the ministry HQ. In her speech, Retno said Indonesia was committed to accelerating the completion of several mutually beneficial bilateral negotiations, including with Timor Leste.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Retno Marsudi (Right, standing, wearing black) received a visit from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Timor Leste Adaljiza Albertina Xavier Reis Magno at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Building, Jakarta, Wednesday, January 11 2022. Doc: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Yesterday's meeting was also about the matter of expediting the completion of the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) and a memorandum of understanding in the field of communication and informatics.

The two top diplomats agreed that efforts would be driven to finalize the agreements this year so that they could be signed during the visit of the Prime Minister of Timor Leste, which will be determined later.

Regarding the land border issues, Retno and Adaljiza agreed to push for efforts to settle discussions on two segments of the land border between Indonesia and Timor Leste, namely Bidjael Sunan-Oben and Noel Besi-Citrana.

"Minister Retno said that it is important to maintain conditions so that negotiations can continue," as written in a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1678698/indonesia-timor-leste-discuss-border-areas-economic-partnershi