Jakarta, Geospatial News - The Geospatial Information Agency (BIG) received an award from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The award was given directly by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi, to the Head of the Center for Earth Mapping and Toponym for the Geospatial Information Agency (BIG) Ade Komara.
The award is an appreciation of BIG's involvement in the technical team for handling Indonesia's maritime boundaries for the period 2015-2019. As is known, Indonesia borders on the sea with 10 countries, namely India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Australia and Timor Leste.
In order to complete the determination of maritime boundaries with a number of neighboring countries, negotiations are necessary. "One of the priorities of Indonesia's foreign policy is diplomacy of sovereignty, namely by completing the determination of maritime boundaries with a number of neighboring countries," said Retno Marsudi in her remarks at the award ceremony in Jakarta, Thursday, August 27, 2020.
In each negotiation, the Indonesian delegation is the technical team for handling maritime boundaries. The team is led by the Director of Legal Affairs and Territorial Agreements at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with representative members from across ministries / agencies (K / L), one of whom is BIG.
One of the technical meetings to discuss maritime boundaries is the Technical Working Group (TWG). Ade Komara, who at that time served as the Head of the BIG Boundary Mapping Center, was in charge of leading the TWG to discuss in detail.
"In the technical discussion, surveys and mapping which are BIG's duties and functions are very important aspects in determining alternative boundary lines, in addition to other aspects such as national defense and security, natural resource management, and navigation safety," explained Ade Komara.
In carrying out its duties, the technical team for handling the determination of Indonesia's maritime boundaries for the 2015-2019 period always pays attention to various aspects. So that, it can achieve various achievements for the progress of border negotiations, including:
Conducted more than 90 negotiations with nine countries, namely India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Philippines, Palau, Timor-Leste, and Australia;
The entry into force of the maritime boundary agreement between Indonesia and Singapore in eastern Singapore in 2017 and the entry into force of the agreement to define the boundaries of the exclusive economic zone of Indonesia and the Philippines in 2019; and
An agreement was reached on two joint technical proposals related to the determination of maritime boundaries between Indonesia and Malaysia in the Sulawesi sea segment and the southern Malacca Strait segment at the Technical Team level;
Apart from Ade Komara, the award was also given to the Director of the Defense Region of the Ministry of Defense (2018-2019) First Admiral TNI (Purn) Bambang Supriyadi as well as the Director of Cooperation and Border Security, Indonesian Navy Hydrographic and Oceanography Center Colonel Laut (E) Dr. Yanuar Handwiono. (NIN)
