Indonesia has so far established its maritime borders, partially or fully, with eight of its ten neighbors. With two of them, Timor-Leste and Palau, maritime boundaries have not yet been established.

During the presidency of Joko “Jokowi” Widodo from 2014-2024, three maritime border agreements were signed. One with Vietnam in 2022 and two more with Malaysia (2023).

It is not easy to judge whether the three agreements could justify that maritime diplomacy during the Jokowi administration has been a success. Negotiating the maritime border is not easy at all. Completing the 2023 agreement between Indonesia and Vietnam, for example, took 25-30 years. The 2023 agreements with Malaysia were both new, following the first one established in 1969.

The performance of the Jokowi administration in this area has matched that of his predecessor Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who managed to conclude three maritime border agreements with the western segment of Singapore (2009), the Philippines (2014) and the eastern segment of Singapore (2014).

In total, Indonesia has 21 maritime border agreements with eight neighbors. While Indonesia can be considered one of the most productive countries in producing maritime border agreements, many segments remain unresolved. Establishing these limits will be the theme of the new leaders.

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Newly installed President Prabowo Subianto named Sugiono, a young Gerindra Party politician, as the new foreign minister. It is intriguing to note that a politician is now the foreign minister, because for the past two decades, Indonesia has always had a career diplomat in this position.