Transcript of Remarks by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan at the Joint Press Conference with Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Arrmanatha Nasir in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 27 October 2026

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: Thank you, terima kasih, my brother, Pak Tata [Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Arrmanatha Nasir], and selamat siang kepada teman-teman pers Indonesia yang saya hormati.

This is my third visit to Indonesia this year alone. Coincidentally, I think I’m the third official visitor to Pak Tata since he was recently appointed as the Foreign Minister of Indonesia. I therefore take this opportunity to formally congratulate you on your appointment. As you said, I’ve known you for many years. Bapak President [President of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto] has chosen a very, very well qualified person to fill this very, very challenging post at a very challenging time in the world for both Indonesia and Singapore.

As this was our first official meeting as Foreign Ministers, the two of us took stock of our overall bilateral relationship. We also discussed the plans for ASEAN, particularly since Singapore will be chairing ASEAN next year, and of course we had to deal with some of the current issues.

I can tell you all that we had a very fruitful, a very sincere conversation. We agreed to build on the momentum and the outcomes of the recent Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat between my Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Bapak President Prabowo. If you all recall, in July this year, we signed 26 agreements, which range from areas such as the economy, energy, defence, digital cooperation, the environment, and human capital development. It reflects a very broad agenda for the strategic developments of our relations between Indonesia and Singapore, and the deep commitment from the leadership level downwards.

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.

And our confidence is reflected in our actions. Singapore has been the top foreign investor in Indonesia since 2014, and you would also be aware of the investments from our sovereign wealth funds into Indonesia as well. This is a vote of confidence in the future of Indonesia.

We also discussed the transboundary haze. I completely agree with Pak Tata that, in fact, the first and the primary victims of the haze are Indonesian citizens, especially those in Kalimantan and in Sumatra.

The El Niño is a natural climatic phenomenon, but the haze is not a natural phenomenon. El Niño adalah phenomena yang semula jadi.

Tetapi, kebakaran hutan dan lahan disebabkan aksi manusia. Jadi kita ada tanggung jawab untuk menyelamatkan kesehatan semua warga negara di Indonesia dan Singapura. Oleh itu, saya berharap pemerintah Indonesia dan Singapura akan bekerja sama untuk mengatasi tantangan ini. [However, the forest and land fires are caused by human activity. So we have the responsibility to protect the health of all the peoples in Indonesia and Singapore. Therefore, I hope both the Indonesian and Singapore authorities will work together to tackle this challenge.]

So Singapore stands in solidarity with Indonesia. This is a common problem, and one that we can best address collectively. We appreciate the efforts of President Prabowo in trying to resolve this problem, and I also want to pay tribute to the many thousands of Indonesian emergency personnel and firefighters who have been working tirelessly over the past few weeks in very difficult and dangerous circumstances. And in fact, I know some of them have been quite severely injured. We pray for their recovery. These are people literally on the frontline.

We also recognise the President’s firm commitment to hold the companies responsible for these forest and land fires, make them accountable, and to prioritise fire prevention as a long-term solution.

I shared with Pak Tata how we will be taking action against the companies who are responsible for the haze, including those who are registered in Singapore. And I can give you this assurance that we are going to exercise all, every single legal and regulatory power, and we are prepared to use an even wider range of legal, regulatory, and economic measures to deter future violations by companies. And we will work closely with Indonesia.

Pak Tata proposed the establishment of a Joint Task Force. Singapore agrees, and we are in effect putting all the companies on notice that the Joint Task Force will ensure that there is a very close coordination of actions and sharing of information between Indonesia and Singapore, and we expect, therefore, the deterrent impact of this Joint Task Force to make a difference.

Looking ahead, 2027 will be an important year for both our countries. We will be commemorating the 60^th anniversary of our diplomatic relations. And this is an opportunity not only to celebrate, not only to look back at our history, but also to look forward at what we can do together.

Singapore will also be Chair of ASEAN in 2027, and I would reflect that Indonesia has always played a key role in ASEAN, since the beginning, as a founder of ASEAN.

Jakarta is home to the ASEAN Secretariat; in fact, the first Secretary-General of ASEAN was also Indonesian. We look forward to working closely with Indonesia to strengthen ASEAN’s unity, centrality, and resilience during our Chairmanship.

Singapura dan Indonesia adalah tetangga dekat dan mitra lama. Hubungan kita dibangun atas dasar percaya, saling hormat dan kerja sama yang saling bermanfaat. Saya telah melakukan pertemuan dan dialog yang konstruktif dan tulus dengan Pak Tata. Kita sepakat untuk menindaklanjuti hasil dan momentum positif dari Singapura-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat antara Perdana Menteri Lawrence Wong dan Bapak Presiden Prabowo di bulan Juli tahun ini.

Tentu saja, sebagai tetangga, kadang-kadang kita berbeda pendapat. Namun yang paling penting adalah bagaimana kita fahami perbedaan dan atasi tantangan bersama. Seperti peribahasa Indonesia “Berat sama dipikul, ringan sama dijinjing” yang mencerminkan semangat gotong royong, saling bantu dan kerja sama bahkan di masa sulit sekalipun. Singapura sangat yakin terhadap masa depan Indonesia dan inginkan Indonesia maju, karena masa depan kita terpaut erat. Tahun depan, kita akan rayakan hubungan diplomatik yang ke-enam puluh. Kami menantikan untuk memperingati tonggak pencapaian ini dan membawa hubungan Indonesia – Singapura ke tingkat yang lebih tinggi. Terima kasih.

[Singapore and Indonesia are close neighbours and longstanding partners. Our relationship is built on trust, respect, and mutually beneficial cooperation. I have had a constructive and sincere conversation with Pak Tata. We agreed to build on the outcomes and positive momentum from the Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat between President Prabowo Subianto and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in July.

Of course, as neighbours, we may not always agree on everything. But what matters is how we manage our differences and overcome challenges together. As the Indonesian saying goes, “Berat sama dipikul, ringan sama dijinjing” (Share the heavy burdens, and carry the lighter ones together). This embodies the spirit of gotong royong, of mutual support and cooperation, even through challenging times. Singapore has confidence in Indonesia’s future. We want Indonesia to succeed because our futures are closely linked. We celebrate the 60^th anniversary of our diplomatic relations next year. We look forward to marking this milestone, and to take Singapore-Indonesia ties to greater heights.]

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

27 OCTOBER 2026