The Philippines and Indonesia have successfully convened the 34th Philippines-Indonesia Border Committee Chairmen’s Conference (BCCC) in Davao City November 4, 2015. The Eastern Mindanao Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (EASTMINCOM) hosted the said joint meeting discussing border-related issues.
Lieutenant General Aurelio B. Baladad, EASTMINCOM Commander and Rear Admiral Darwanto, SH, MAP of the Indonesian Navy co-chaired the conference, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
Lieutenant General Baladad expressed hope that the existing 1975 Border Patrol and Border Crossing Agreements would be revised to meet the requirements of the times. While Rear Admiral Darwanto said that discussions of the committee aim to enhance cooperation addressing border and maritime concerns of the two biggest archipelagic states of the world.
The two sides also discussed the deployment of immigration and customs officers along with documentation issues, as well as intelligence and information sharing procedures in the Border Crossing Stations.
Philippines and Indonesia share maritime borders at Celebes (Sulawesi) Sea. Last year, the Philippines and Indonesia signed the historic Philippines-Indonesia Exclusive Economic Zone Boundary Delimitation Agreement that drew a boundary between the two countries ending two decades of dispute.
The joint statement released after the meeting in Davao City said the 35th Border Committee Chairmen’s Conference will be held in Manado, Indonesia in 2016.
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