Indonesia Not Yet Open to Foreign Aid for NTT Earthquake
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu) of the Republic of Indonesia has stated that Indonesia is still relying on national capacity and resources to handle the impact of the earthquake in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). The government considers that foreign aid is not yet required at this time.
“Currently, the focus of the response is to ensure that the needs of the affected communities can be met through the national capacity and resources that we have,” said Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang, as reported by Antara on Thursday (20/8/2026) and cited by detikNews.
Although foreign aid is not yet needed, Indonesia still appreciates the attention and solidarity from friendly countries. A number of countries are known to have offered assistance to help victims and support the post-earthquake recovery process.
Yvonne said that Foreign Minister Sugiono has also expressed gratitude to several ambassadors of friendly countries for their concern regarding the situation in NTT.
“We consider this to be very meaningful for us during this difficult time,” she said.
Meanwhile, in response to a question regarding whether aid for NTT would be discussed during the meeting between Foreign Minister Sugiono and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Indonesia-China Comprehensive Strategic Dialogue (CSD) on Friday (21/8/2026), Yvonne said that the matter would still be discussed further.
Previously, at a press conference in Beijing on Monday (17/8), Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said that the Chinese government continues to monitor the development of the disaster and is ready to provide assistance according to Indonesia’s needs.
“China is willing to provide assistance in accordance with Indonesia’s needs,” said Lin Jian, while confirming that a number of Chinese nationals were injured in the earthquake in NTT.
In addition, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also conveyed his condolences over the earthquake disaster in NTT. Tehran said it is ready to send humanitarian aid to the affected areas.
As reported by the IRNA news agency on Tuesday (18/8), Pezeshkian sent a message of condolence to President Prabowo Subianto on Sunday (16/8) local time. In the message, Pezeshkian expressed sympathy for the fatalities and injuries caused by the earthquake.
“In this difficult situation, while announcing our readiness to provide any medical assistance and relief, I pray to God Almighty to grant mercy and forgiveness to the victims, swift recovery to the injured, and patience and fortitude to the survivors,” he added.
The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported that the death toll from the magnitude 7 earthquake in NTT as of Thursday (20/8) has reached 75 people. Meanwhile, BNPB recorded that aid sent during the period of 15-18 August reached 398 tonnes. A total of 165 tonnes of that aid was sent by air.