Foreign Ministry Director General for Legal Affairs and Treaties Damos Agusman said that, even though the recent reconciliation between Australia and Timor Leste on maritime borders was still aligned with a 1972 treaty on the seabed boundary, this crossed the boundary set out in the Perth Treaty on exclusive economic zones (EEZ).

“Australia has agreed to work with us to revisit the Perth Treaty, and a technical team will meet to discuss the matter,” Damos said during a press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney after a meeting with Australian Foreign Ministry officials.

Damos further said the Perth Treaty had been discussed when East Timor was still part of Indonesia. In 1999, East Timor declared its independence and became Timor Leste; however, the treaty had not been ratified by the House of Representatives, because Indonesia had been in the beginning of the reform era that year.

“The reconciliation [agreement] between Australia and Timor Leste marks a clear border in the Timor Gap, so this is the right moment to talk about revisiting the treaty,” said Damos.

The meeting with authorities of the Australian Foreign Ministry was also attended by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and newly appointed Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Gary Francis Quinlan.

Quinlan was previously Australia's chief negotiator in the East Timor maritime boundary discussion. (ebf)

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