Malaysia and Indonesia coordinate on haze mitigation and bilateral talks

Malaysia and Indonesia are coordinating efforts to mitigate transboundary haze caused by forest fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra. As part of this cooperation, Indonesian authorities have approved Malaysian weather-modification operations, including cloud-seeding along the shared border, to suppress fires and reduce smoke drifting into Malaysian airspace.

To further address environmental and diplomatic concerns, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto have agreed to hold bilateral talks in Penang within the next two months. The meeting, which was proposed during a meeting at the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, will focus on the haze issue, increasing trade, and strengthening bilateral relations.

At a regional level, Malaysia is working with Singapore and Indonesia to utilize the 2002 ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP). The smoke plumes from recent fires have affected Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, and parts of the Philippines, previously prompting a brief state of emergency in Sarawak’s Serian region.