Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan told CNA that Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had made a political commitment to address haze and other bilateral issues after communicating. He said governments must now implement that commitment, but did not disclose what the two leaders discussed.
The remarks followed Balakrishnan’s Oct. 27 meeting in Jakarta with Indonesian Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir. Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the ministers backed Nasir’s proposal for a task force to coordinate their efforts and exchange information about firms associated with forest and land fires. Balakrishnan said Singapore was prepared to use legal, regulatory and economic measures against companies responsible for the haze.
