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ndonesia has nominated a senior diplomat to represent the world’s largest archipelago at the international tribunal overseeing maritime disputes with full support from the Foreign Ministry, officials from the ministry have said.

Veteran diplomat Arif Havas Oegroseno and assistant for maritime sovereignty at the Office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister has been nominated as a judge in the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).

ITLOS is an independent judicial body set up by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to adjudicate disputes arising out of the interpretation and application of the convention.

Since its establishment in 1996, there has been no representative from Indonesia to the international tribunal, despite the country being the world’s largest archipelago, Havas said.

The number of representatives from Southeast Asia — a region that borders mostly defined with waters — in the body is also very low, and that shapes ongoing debates and perception in the court, Havas said on his nomination.

“But it is very important to avoid conflict of interests to make fair judgment calls as a judge, as the tribunal works like other courts,” he told The Jakarta Post over the phone when asked about his aims id he is chosen to be part of ITLOS.

Selection will be carried out in June 2017 and if chosen, Havas will serve as a judge in the tribunal for a 10-year period. There are two vacancies for judges from Asia-Pacific. Havas said he would compete with candidates from Thailand and Lebanon for the position.

Foreign Ministry director general for multilateral affairs Hasan Kleib said that as a maritime country and a state party to the UNCLOS, Indonesia expected to be represented in the ITLOS.

“The Foreign Ministry truly supports Indonesian citizens that seek candidacy in the ITLOS, even in his own personal capacity because their involvement in the body is counted as representation for our country,” Hasan told the Post.

“With his capacity, credibility, credentials and wide experience in sea and maritime laws, Pak Havas is surely the right candidate [for the position].”

The tribunal is composed of 21 independent members, elected from among persons known for their fairness and integrity and of recognized competence in the field of the law of the sea.

Havas is a prominent figure in the field, having served as the president of the Meeting of States Parties to the UNCLOS and led the Indonesian delegation on the Submission of the Outer Limit of Indonesian Continental Shelf to the UN.

He was also chief negotiator for numerous bilateral and regional negotiations, including Indonesian maritime boundaries, mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and extradition negotiations. He led the landmark negotiation of the Indonesia-Australia Security Framework Agreement.

His diplomatic career spans nearly 30 years, during which he secured the top position in the Foreign Ministry, including as the director general for legal and international treaty affairs. Before being appointed to his current position as assistant to the Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister, he was the Indonesian ambassador to Belgium, Luxemburg and the EU.

Havas said that if chosen, he would do his best to ensure that Indonesia was represented in the international tribunal by diligently campaigning and approaching influencing figures within and outside the country.