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JAKARTA: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said he wants the boundary problems between Indonesia and Malaysia to be resolved immediately so that cordial relations between the two countries can be maintained.
"Indonesia will continue to urge Malaysia to conclude negotiations on border issues which frequently trigger incidents and tension," Yudhoyono said in his message to the people on Indonesia-Malaysia relations, broadcast on television.
"Thus, by preventing unnecessary tension, I believe the cordial bilateral relations and cooperation between Indonesia and Malaysia can be improved further," he added.
His message follows recent incidents where the Indonesian Marine and Fisheries Ministry detained seven Malaysian fishermen, while the Malaysian Marine Operations Force had detained three enforcement officers from the Indonesian Ministry. They were all detained for encroaching into each other's territorial waters.
Although all those who were detained had been released, the Indonesian people continued to show their anger at Malaysia by staging demonstrations.
In his statement, Yudhoyono outlined several reasons why Indonesia-Malaysia relationship should be further protected and maintained.
He said bilateral relations between both countries hinged on a history of close cultural and social relations, possibly even closer than other countries, over centuries.
"Indonesia and Malaysia relations are important in the big ASEAN family. ASEAN may grow more rapidly due to a strong foundation in Malaysia and Indonesia relations," he said.
Yudhoyono also noted that there were two million Indonesian workers in Malaysia, and this had benefited both countries.
In education, he said there were 13,000 Indonesian students studying in Malaysia while 6,000 Malaysians were studying in Indonesia.
Yudhoyono said Malaysians formed the third biggest tourist group at 1.18 million out of a total 6.3 million tourists to the republic.
He added that both countries have strong trade and investment relations.
- CNA/de
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