At the signing ceremony (Photo source: en.antaranews.com)

Jakarta - Indonesian Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan and Malaysian Minister of International Trade and Industry Tengku Zafrul Aziz signed the Indonesia-Malaysia Border Trade Agreement (BTA) update in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on June 8.

The governments of the two countries welcomed the signing of the agreement, which is expected to provide major benefits for the two Southeast Asian nations’ citizens living in border areas.

In a written statement, Minister Hasan emphasised that Indonesian citizens who live in the Indonesia-Malaysia border are an inseparable part of this country.

The BTA update is hoped to help meet the demand of Indonesian citizens who reside in the border, he remarked.

Since being implemented on August 24, 1970, this is the first time the BTA has been updated after taking into account the latest circumstances and conditions, including fulfillment of the people's needs, mechanism regulation, and supervision improvement.

After the agreement was signed, the two countries will continue the ratification process in accordance with the provisions applied in each country before the BTA is implemented and can facilitate people in the border area.