Indonesia says diplomacy with Singapore ‘must not stop’ amid bilateral tensions
JAKARTA: Amid the recent troubles between Indonesia and Singapore due to this year’s severe transboundary haze and Indonesia’s decision to cut gas exports to Singapore, diplomacy is ongoing, the Jakarta Globe quoted a senior Indonesian diplomat as saying on Wednesday (Nov 4).
The timing of the difficulty between the two nations is noteworthy, given that the 49th ASEAN Summit is scheduled to take place on Nov 16 to 18 in the Philippines. More than 10,000 foreign delegates and leaders from across the globe, including United States President Donald Trump, are expected to attend.
When the director-general for ASEAN cooperation at Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry, Ina Hagniningtyas Krisnamurthi, was asked about ASEAN unity, she said that diplomatic meetings are ongoing.
"Diplomacy must not stop. Our domestic policies may differ, but we still have to push for diplomacy,” Ms Krisnamurthi said, adding, “Diplomacy is something easy to say, but it requires non-stop dialogue.”
The 11 nations in the regional bloc have different mindsets and are in different developmental stages, she also pointed out.
Tensions between Indonesia and Singapore
After this year’s haze, which has been the worst since 1995, causing unhealthy levels of air pollution in Singapore, the city-state issued prevention notices to 10 entities linked to the forest and peat wood fires responsible for the haze.
Singapore has also said it will exercise all the legal and regulatory powers at hand, as well as even more legal, regulatory, and economic measures to deter future violations by companies; and this week, it introduced amendments to strengthen legislation.
Indonesia announced that it would be cutting natural gas exports to Singapore starting from Oct 24 (Saturday) to meet domestic electricity needs. The country has been the source for as much as a quarter of Singapore's total natural gas supply and, in 2025, delivered 3.22 million tonnes to the city-state. By the end of 2028, Singapore’s contracts with Indonesia for natural gas imports are set to expire.
Inflammatory remarks from former Indonesian Trade Minister Muhammad Lutfi have also added fuel to the fire.
As tensions mounted, Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan visited Jakarta on Oct 27, and after their talk, it was announced that the two countries agreed to form a joint task force to probe the companies linked to the fires causing the haze.
Newsletter
Get updates straight to your inbox
“I would like to emphasise that Singapore has full confidence in the future of Indonesia. We want Indonesia to succeed, and we want this because our futures are intertwined. Singapore’s success also depends on a prosperous, stable, peaceful Indonesia. Indonesia is a key pillar for the neighbourhood, for ASEAN, and indeed, for the world,” said Dr Balakrishnan.
Earlier this week, Singapore, which takes over as ASEAN chair next year, announced that it will work with member countries to establish a haze centre as well as address its root causes. /TISG