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Timor-Leste and Indonesia share the island of Timor. The western boundary between the countries is 125 km in length with Indonesia to the west and Timor-Leste to the east as well as the enclave of Oe-Cusse.

In the 16th century Timor was colonised by the Portuguese and the Dutch who fought for control of the island. The first boundary delimitation occurred in 1859, followed by several agreements and concluding as a final delimitation in 1904. Indonesia became independent in 1945 while Timor-Leste unliterally declared independence in 1975, which was later restored in 2002 after a period of occupation followed by United Nations administration.

Timor-Leste and Indonesia have been negotiating the finalisation of their land boundaries for many years and this process is almost completed. The areas that remain subject to negotiations are less than two percent of the land boundary. The final segments have complex characteristics or features that require further detailed discussions to resolve, for example in Noel Besi/Citrana, Oe-Cusse which requires agreement on the exact terminus points where the land boundary meets the sea H.E. Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao is leading this negotiation pursuant to Government Resolution No. 22/2018 of 5 December.

To read more about the land boundary talks, click here

Treaties related to land boundaries

  • Treaty of Demarcation and Exchange of Some Portuguese and Dutch Dominions on the Solor and Timor Archipelago between Portugal and the Netherlands, 20 April 1859
  • Convention for the Demarcation of Portuguese and Dutch Dominions on the Island of Timor-Leste between Portugal and the Netherlands, 1 October 1904
  • Decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration between the Netherlands and Portugal concerning the Subject of the Boundary of a part of their Possessions in the Island of Timor, 25 June 1914
  • Provisional Agreement between Timor-Leste and Indonesia on the Land Boundary, 8 April 2005

Bilateral talks with Indonesia

  • On 13 – 14 December 2018, 4th meeting of the Senior officials’ Consultation (SOC);
  • On 29 April – 15 May 2019, Joint Field Visit (JFV);
  • On 01 – 03 July 2019, 5th meeting of SOC;
  • On 22 July 2019, H.E. Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão and H.E. General Wiranto signed “Agreed Principles” on the final settlement of our land boundary;
  • On 14 and 15 August, a desktop study meeting; and
  • On 4 and 5 February 2020, high level meeting between H.E. Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão and the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia.

To read more about the land boundary talks, click here

DISCLAIMER

IMPORTANT NOTICE

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.