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View all search resultsSingapore reaches out to cool diplomatic row
A meeting between Singapore's top diplomat Vivian Balakrishnan and President Prabowo Subianto may help ease recent tensions between the two countries and strengthen Indonesia’s position ahead of transboundary haze talks at the ASEAN summit, according to an expert.
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President Prabowo Subianto (right) speaks with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan during a closed-door meeting at the President's private residence in Hambalang, Bogor regency, West Java, on Oct. 28, 2026. According to the Presidential Secretariat, the meeting was held upon Singapore's request. (Courtey of Presidential Secretariat/Laily Rachev)
Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan met with President Prabowo Subianto during the former’s visit to Jakarta on Wednesday, a move widely seen as signaling efforts to ease bilateral tensions over transboundary haze and a recent energy export cut.
In a statement issued by the Presidential Secretariat on Wednesday afternoon, the meeting took place at Prabowo’s private residence in Hambalang, Bogor regency, West Java. Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said in the statement that the closed-door meeting was held upon Singapore’s request, with no details about the discussions revealed.
Balakrishnan’s meeting with Prabowo came on the second day of his visit to Jakarta, where he was scheduled to hold talks with several Indonesian officials to ease tensions between both countries.
Ties between the two countries have been strained in recent weeks by growing public frustration in Singapore over toxic haze from forest and land fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra that have reduced air quality in the city-state.
As calls mount in Singapore for concrete action by the Indonesian government to contain the wildfires, including accepting its offer of firefighting assistance, Indonesian officials have signaled growing discontent, including Prabowo who accused unspecified countries of seeking to insult Indonesia.
Tensions flared last Friday when Indonesia singled out Singapore as the sole target of a natural gas export cut. The move was announced a day after Coordinating Downstream and Energy Transition Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said the government would evaluate contracts with countries that did not “show respect” to Indonesia.
