- Private Meeting: President Prabowo Subianto held a private meeting with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in Hambalang, West Java.
- Diplomatic Commitment: The unexpected visit underscores Indonesia’s commitment to maintaining strong diplomatic communication with its Southeast Asian neighbors.
- Joint Task Force: Earlier bilateral discussions in Jakarta focused on establishing a joint task force to combat regional forest and land fires.
JAKARTA, INDONESIAN POST — President Prabowo Subianto accepted a meeting request from Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, which took place behind closed doors in Hambalang, West Java, on Wednesday.
According to an official post from the Cabinet Secretariat cited in Jakarta on Wednesday, President Prabowo met with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan at his residence in Hambalang, Bogor, today.
The meeting occurred after the Singaporean foreign minister arrived unexpectedly in Jakarta on Tuesday (October 27) and submitted a request to meet with President Prabowo.
President Prabowo subsequently accepted the meeting request, which was ultimately held in private in Hambalang today.
Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya previously confirmed that President Prabowo Subianto would meet with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan today.
“Since yesterday morning, the Singaporean foreign minister suddenly arrived in Indonesia and requested a moment to meet the president. He will be received briefly this afternoon, but for the exact details, please ask our foreign minister,” Cabinet Secretary Teddy said in a statement received in Jakarta this afternoon.
Teddy noted that the meeting demonstrates that amid various state agendas, the president remains focused on maintaining good relations and strengthening communication with friendly nations, particularly neighboring countries in the Southeast Asian region.
Previously, Indonesian Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir held a bilateral meeting with the Singaporean foreign minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jakarta on Tuesday (October 27).
During that occasion, several issues were discussed, including forest and land fires. Foreign Minister Arrmanatha emphasized that the Indonesian government is currently prioritizing the handling of forest fires, the impacts of which have reached neighboring countries, including Singapore.
The Indonesian foreign minister expressed appreciation to all countries, including Singapore, that have offered assistance to Indonesia in extinguishing the forest fires. However, relevant authorities in Indonesia will consider these offers based on actual needs on the ground.
Foreign Minister Arrmanatha also stated that Indonesia and Singapore have agreed to form a task force to strengthen joint efforts in tackling forest fires and their impacts.
ANTARA | INDONESIAN POST
