Joint Press Statement: Joint Submission by Singapore and Indonesia to Jointly Register the 2014 Treaty Relating to the Delimitation of the Territorial Seas in the Eastern Part of the Strait of Singapore with the United Nations on 25 September 2017

At a ceremony at the Office of the United Nations Undersecretary-General of Legal Affairs Miguel de Serpa Soares on 25 September 2017, in accordance with Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Singapore Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Retno Marsudi jointly submitted for registration the Treaty Between the Republic of Singapore and the Republic of Indonesia Relating to the Delimitation of the Territorial Seas in the Eastern Part of the Strait of Singapore, which was signed in Singapore on 3 September 2014 (“the Treaty”). The Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the two countries exchanged the Instruments of Ratification for the Treaty on 10 February 2017, bringing it into force on the same day. The joint submission on 25 September 2017 was held in conjunction with the commemoration of the 50^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Indonesia.

The Treaty is the third treaty relating to the delimitation of the territorial sea boundary between the two countries. The Treaty complements the first two treaties, namely the Treaty between the Republic of Singapore and the Republic of Indonesia Relating to the Delimitation of the Territorial Seas of the Two Countries in the Strait of Singapore, which was signed on 25 May 1973 and entered into force on 29 August 1974, and the Treaty between the Republic of Singapore and the Republic of Indonesia Relating to the Delimitation of the Territorial Seas of the Two Countries in the Western Part of the Strait of Singapore, which was signed on 10 March 2009 and entered into force on 30 August 2010.

The conclusion of the Treaty is a significant milestone in bilateral relations between Singapore and Indonesia and reaffirms the mutual commitment of both countries to resolve complex bilateral issues, including maritime delimitation, in an amicable manner on the basis of international law.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA

26 SEPTEMBER 2017