I

ndonesia and Singapore have agreed to seal a final deal on sea borders, in a highly lauded move that could lead to better relations between the two neighbors.

Under the new agreement, which is to be signed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the two governments have settled the borders that delineate the eastern part of the Singapore Strait, an area incorporating Indonesia'€™s Batam Island and Singapore'€™s Changi.

Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said that the signing of the agreement was expected to take place in Singapore on Tuesday during Yudhoyono'€™s meeting with his Singaporean counterparts, Prime Minister Lee and President Tony Tan Keng Yam.

'€œHe [Yudhoyono] will arrive in Singapore tomorrow [Tuesday], and a private meeting with the Singaporean President and Prime Minister will take place. The meeting will include the signing of the agreement between Indonesia and Singapore relating to the first segment [of the eastern border],'€ Marty told the press at a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Monday.

The eastern sea border is divided into two segments: the first segment includes the area between Changi and Batam, while the second covers the zone between Bintan and South Ledge/Middle Rock/Pedra Branca, areas which are also a bone of contention between Singapore and Malaysia.

Marty said that Tuesday'€™s agreement would be the second after a deal in 2009.

'€œWe signed an agreement covering the western part of the Singapore Strait in 2009, but the one covering the eastern parts has been delayed due to the territorial dispute between Malaysia and Singapore,'€ Marty said, adding that the Indonesian government expected to seal an agreement with the Malaysian government in the next few days.

The 2009 agreement covers the western part of the Singapore Strait, including Nipah and Tuas islands.

During his visit to Singapore, Yudhoyono is also expected to receive the award of the Order of Temasek First Class from the Singapore government, the second award he has received from Singapore. During a state visit to the city-state in 2013, Yudhoyono was granted an honorary degree from the Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS).

House of Representatives Commission I, which oversees defense, information and foreign affairs, applauded the government'€™s success in completing the agreement with Singapore.

'€œThe agreement [with Singapore] will definitely hasten the process with Malaysia, which is good because unlike Singapore, with whom Indonesia has few sea disputes, Indonesia and Malaysia have been involved in a number of debates on the matter, due to a number of issues including illegal fishing,'€ commission chairman Mahfudz Siddiq stated.

Mahfudz added that the agreement could boost ties with Singapore.

'€œThe signing of the agreement will improve Indonesian-Singaporean bilateral ties in the future. I believe that the agreement will have no negative consequences for the next government in terms of bilateral cooperation with Singapore,'€ said Mahfudz, a member of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

Mahfudz took issue only with the fact that the government rarely briefed the House on its progress in the negotiations with the Singaporean government.

Contacted separately, Commission I lawmaker Helmy Fauzy of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), one of the five political parties that officially nominated president-elect Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo, praised the agreement, saying that it would further help the Jokowi-Jusuf Kalla administration to implement programs on maritime management.

'€œWe have been involved in a number of sea border disputes, particularly with Malaysia. The signing of the agreement will definitely speed up the process with Malaysia and then we can eventually settle those disputes,'€ Helmy said.