Bandung (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto has reaffirmed his commitment to resolving the longstanding maritime border dispute over the Ambalat area with Malaysia through peaceful means.
"We are aiming for a good, peaceful resolution based on mutual goodwill. In essence, we are hoping for a fair settlement," Prabowo told reporters after attending the Indonesian Convention of Science, Technology, and Industry in Bandung, West Java, on Thursday.
His remarks came in response to Malaysia's recent decision to refer to the contested maritime area, which includes the ND6 and ND7 oil and gas blocks, as the "Sulawesi Sea" — a term not recognized by Indonesia, which refers to the area as Ambalat.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan raised the Ambalat issue during a speech before the Malaysian House of Representatives (Dewan Rakyat) on August 5.
He emphasized the importance of using terminology that supports Malaysia's claim and asserted his country's sovereignty over the maritime zone, located near Indonesia's North Kalimantan and Malaysia's Sabah.
"The ruling of the International Court of Justice in 2002 concerning sovereignty over the Sipadan and Ligitan Islands has strengthened our claim over the Sulawesi Sea," Hasan said.
Nevertheless, he also stressed that Malaysia remains committed to bilateral cooperation with Indonesia to address the dispute.
Both President Prabowo and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim have previously expressed a shared commitment to finding a mutually beneficial resolution.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Anwar in June, Prabowo underscored that both nations agree on the importance of moving forward with economic cooperation even as legal discussions over maritime boundaries continue.
"In the case of Ambalat, we are aiming to establish economic cooperation under a joint development scheme while awaiting legal resolution," Prabowo said on June 27.
Anwar supported this approach, noting that while legal processes could take years, they should not delay collaborative efforts in other areas, including the possibility of joint development in the disputed zone.
