Jakarta, ThedailyID — President Prabowo Subianto met Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi at his residence in Hambalang, Bogor, West Java, on Friday, September 18, 2026.
The two officials discussed several issues during the meeting. One of the main topics was cooperation to tackle forest and land fires in Kalimantan.
Malaysia offered to help Indonesia respond to the fires. The assistance will include one aircraft, three helicopters and 52 firefighters.
“He is an old friend, so he came to visit me and we discussed various issues. First, Malaysia offered to help us tackle the forest fires in Kalimantan. I responded with gratitude and welcomed it,” Prabowo said on Friday, September 18.
The Malaysian assistance is expected to arrive soon. Prabowo said a similar effort had also taken place several years ago.
“This has also been done several years ago. I am also preparing comprehensive prevention measures so that this does not keep happening every few years,” he said.
Prabowo said the support from neighboring countries also shows that forest fires in Indonesia have wider regional consequences.
Indonesia has also received assistance from Japan and offers of support from other countries. Japan previously sent three CH-47 Chinook helicopters to West Kalimantan to support firefighting and logistics operations.
“This is an environmental issue that affects many parties. Although the fires are in Indonesia, the impact is felt by our neighbors,” Prabowo said.
Beyond disaster response, Prabowo and Zahid also discussed potential cooperation in other sectors. These included opportunities in the halal industry.
Prabowo also stressed the importance of maintaining strong relations between Indonesia and Malaysia.
“We must not allow things that disturb us to become exaggerated problems. Indonesia and Malaysia are brothers. We must cooperate and maintain very good relations,” Prabowo said.
The latest cooperation comes as Indonesia continues to deal with forest and land fires in several parts of the country. Malaysia’s deployment will add regional support to Indonesia’s ongoing firefighting efforts in Kalimantan.
