Cooperation between Timor Leste and Australia to Address Oil and Gas Exploration Conflicts in the Timor Gap

Abstract

The main objective of cooperation between countries is to solve problems or conflicts under international threats where the countries concerned claim their rights according to the demands of their national interests which can affect their existence as a sovereign state in the eyes of the international community. This study takes the perspective of actor-oriented diplomacy and negotiation to analyze the resolution of the oil and gas exploration conflict in the Timor Gap. This reveals a way of solving the oil and gas exploration conflicts in the Timor Gap rooted in the claims of Timor Leste and Australia related to the oil and gas area located on their maritime border, which has resulted in conflict between the two countries ever since Timor Leste was established as a sovereign state. The political and economic structure of the two countries is markedly different because politically, Timor Leste adopted a semi-presidential system and its political economy depends on the sector of oil and gas and non-oil and gas. Meanwhile, Australia politically adopted a federal state system whose sovereignty depends on the central government and its political economy is derived from the industrial and investment sectors. The focus on resolving disputes between the two countries is how to strengthen the diplomacy and negotiation strategies of the two parties which arrive at a solution through UN mediation in UNCLOS. The most basic conflict is the causative factor that triggers the prolonged conflict between the two countries in the Timor Gap, starting from Australia's negligence to discuss the maritime borders with Timor Leste, and the act of wiretapping perpetrated by Australia against Timor Leste to obtain documents that had been agreed upon based on several agreements signed in both countries, specifically CMATS. Moreover, from the diplomacy and negotiation processes of the two parties involving a third party, it can be concluded that needs-based conflicts require problem-solving involving parties in the hope that the future of the country will obtain the best solution between the conflicting parties with great confidence towards the end point. This consists of creating harmony between the two parties for the future of the country, be it on the political, economic, security or social side. Finally, Timor Leste and Australia reached the settlement of the conflict between the two countries with the ratification of permanent maritime borders on 30th August 2019 to resolve their maritime border problems forever.