There is no choice but for neighbours Indonesia and Malaysia to remain the "best of friends" under whatever circumstances as their unique geo-political position makes them key to the strength of Asean and East Asia, Najib Tun Razak said today.

The deputy premier said in a Bernama report that the relationship of the two countries could form the backbone of Asean and East Asia.

"We must not allow any issue, big or small, to come between us," he said but added that problems between the two close neighbours were bound to crop up from time to time.

"Since we come from the same race and the same blood flows in our veins, it is imperative for us to find common ground to resolve all our differences," he said in his keynote address at the opening of the 7th Bugis Merchants Meet in Makassar, Indonesia.

Najib and Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla together beat on a Bugis gong to open the conference which is attended by about 1,000 people descended from the Bugis, a tribe of warriors with their roots in Sulawesi and whose enterprise dominated trade in the region for centuries.

They came from Indonesia and other countries including Malaysia, South Africa, China and Australia.

'Storm in a tea cup'

Najib cited the issue of overlapping claims in the oil-rich Sulawesi Sea between Malaysia and Indonesia in March this year as a case in which both sides sought a solution in an atmosphere of calm and brotherhood.

He described the incident as "a storm in a tea cup" which, nevertheless, served to create awareness of their common origins.

After the opening ceremony, Najib and Jusuf held private talks before attending a lunch hosted by the Indonesian leader for the Malaysian delegation.