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Dear Readers/Visitors,
Welcome to the Land and Maritime Boundaries Office site!
As a maritime nation, our waters are an integral part of our way of life and our identity. The seas have a spiritual significance for us. By legend, the Timorese are the grandchildren of the crocodile – upon its death, its body became the land of Timor, the ridges on its back became the mountains and the valleys, and the oceans its final resting place.
Timor-Leste has two very large maritime neighbours, Indonesia and Australia. After restoring our independence in 2002 Timor-Leste did not have permanent maritime boundaries with either neighbour.
After years of failed attempts to reach a bilateral dialogue on maritime boundaries with Australia, Timor-Leste opted in 2016 for compulsory conciliation under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The compulsory conciliation was the last resort we had – designed for countries like ours where a neighbour refuses to negotiate bilaterally but has also withdrawn from the binding dispute resolution mechanisms under UNCLOS.
The compulsory conciliation process had never been used before and came with no guarantees of success. But, the international system had delivered for us once before, and we were determined to try again, by trusting in the power of justice.
After 18 months, we managed to reach an agreement with Australia and, in March 2018, we signed a Treaty at the United Nations headquarters, in the presence of Secretary-General António Guterres. The “Treaty between the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and Australia establishing their respective maritime boundaries in the Timor Sea” was ratified on August 30, 2019, in Dili, with the exchange of Diplomatic Notes between the Prime Ministers of Timor-Leste and Australia.
This is a historic agreement and marks the beginning of a new era in the friendship between Timor-Leste and Australia.
We may be a small country, but we believe that this success will strengthen the application of international standards and the legal architecture that protects the world’s oceans.
Having concluded the negotiation of our maritime border with Australia, Timor-Leste must now achieve the permanent delimitation of land and maritime borders with Indonesia, and the land boundaries are very close to being completed. Regarding maritime boundaries, both countries have agreed that the boundary must be negotiated in accordance with international law.
Securing our sovereign rights over our land and sea areas will be the end of Timor-Leste’s long struggle for full sovereignty. Then we will finally be able to enjoy the richness and beauty of our land and sea territory in peace and with dignity.
I hope that this site will be a privileged place for all of us to learn more about our efforts to permanently delimit our boundaries.
Only by working together, as a people and as a nation, can we guarantee sovereign rights over our land and sea.
Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão
Prime Minister
See the Prime Minister’s biography: HERE
This website is hosted by the Maritime Boundary Office of the Council for the Final Delimitation of Maritime Boundaries to allow readers to learn more about Timor-Leste’s pursuit of permanent maritime boundaries. The Council for the Final Delimitation of Maritime Boundaries and the Maritime Boundary Office do not accept any legal liability for any reliance placed on any information contained in this website (including external links). The information provided is a summary only and should not be relied upon as legal advice. The information and views expressed in this website and in any linked information do not constitute diplomatic representations and do not limit or otherwise affect the rights of the Council for the Final Delimitation of Maritime Boundaries, the Maritime Boundary Office or the Government of Timor-Leste. The views expressed in any linked information do not necessarily reflect the views of the Council for the Final Delimitation of Maritime Boundaries, the Maritime Boundary Office or the Government of Timor-Leste.
GFM is the acronym for “Gabinete das Fronteiras Marítimas”, which is the Portuguese translation of Maritime Boundary Office.