OMM Redaksiyası
Foreign ministers of Southeast Asian countries will discuss measures to address transboundary haze at preparatory meetings ahead of the ASEAN summit in November. The Philippines said on Tuesday that forest and land fires in Indonesia continue to affect air quality across the region.
Dense haze from fires that have burned in Indonesia for months reached Singapore and Malaysia in recent days. Schools were closed in several Malaysian states last week after air pollution levels rose to hazardous levels.
The fires, concentrated mainly on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Borneo, are the country’s most severe forest fires in 11 years.
Dominic Xavier Imperial, a spokesperson for the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, confirmed on Tuesday that the haze issue would be included on the agenda of foreign ministers’ preparatory meetings ahead of the ASEAN summit in November.
Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said on Monday that the issue would be raised within ASEAN. He said the organization’s disaster-response mechanisms do not specifically cover transboundary haze.
Malaysia previously offered Indonesia assistance in fighting the fires. Citing discussions with his Indonesian counterpart, Mohamad said firefighting in many areas had been hampered by poor visibility, difficult access and conditions unsuitable for cloud seeding.
Regional issues to be discussed at November summit
The haze issue is expected to feature in regional discussions ahead of the Southeast Asian leaders’ summit in November. The ASEAN summit is the organization’s highest decision-making meeting, where member states’ leaders discuss regional strategy, economic development and security issues.
U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to travel to the Philippines on November 16 for the ASEAN summit, then to Shenzhen, China, to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which will take place from November 17 to 19.
