Malaysia, Indonesia end 18-year sea border disputes, vow to cooperate in defending palm oil industry

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia and Indonesia have signed agreements to end longstanding sea border disputes and vowed to bolster cooperation to fight “highly detrimental discriminatory” measures against palm oil. Visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday witnessed the signing of two landmark treaties on the delimitation of the nations’ territorial seas in parts of the Straits of Malacca and the Sulawesi Sea. In a joint statement, the leaders also reiterated their stand to jointly battle the European Union’s new deforestation law that will hit palm oil exports. They called for a “fair and equitable resolution.” Malaysia and Indonesia are the world’s top two palm oil producers.