After signing the treaty during a UN ceremony, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told reporters that East Timor stood to gain “substantial benefits” from the deal. The offshore fields are located 150 kilometers (93 miles) southeast of East Timor and 450 kilometers northwest of Darwin. East Timor, one of Asia’s poorest countries, has been in dispute with Australia over the sea border since its independence from Indonesia in 2002. In 2016, East Timor dragged Australia before the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the world’s oldest arbitration tribunal, based in The Hague, after contesting a previous deal signed in 2006. East Timor was invaded by Indonesia in 1975 before it gained independence in 2002 after a UN-sponsored referendum.

Source: New Strait Times March 07, 2018 01:30 UTC