"There is nothing to worry about, regarding the event and Mt Agung," Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said.Karangasem, Bali (ANTARA News) - The government has confirmed that Bali will host the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund - World Bank Group (IMF-WBG) in October 2018, despite Mt Agung`s current high alert status.
"There is nothing to worry about, regarding the event and Mt Agung," said the chairman of the national committee on the Annual Meetings of IMF-WBG, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, after visiting the volcano`s monitoring post in Rendang Subdistrict of Karangasem, Friday.
He was accompanied by Finance Minister Sri Mulyani and the central bank Governor Agus Martowardojo.
Luhut reiterated that the likelihood of the volcano erupting has reduced, and the government has taken the required safety precautions.
The government has sent letters to foreign embassies regarding the situation in Bali after it revoked the Emergency Response status for the island, so these countries could also remove their travel warnings.
The government is communicating with the Meetings team Secretariat IMF-WB in Washington DC on all aspects of security and risk mitigation to ensure that the event runs smoothly.
"We have briefed embassies and sent them letters on the Mt Agung situation. The Finance Minister has communicated with the IMF-WB that we have no problem here and that the annual meeting can run as scheduled without any change of plan," Luhut remarked.
However, the government has prepared the nearest airports in Banyuwangi and Surabaya to meet any emergency if the Ngurah Rai airport has to be closed due to the volcano eruption.
The authority has raised the volcano`s status to its highest level and banned any activities within a radius of 8-10 km from Mt Agung.
Beyond this area, activities on the resort island are normal.
Reported by Satyagraha
Edited by INE/
(S022/INE/B003)
(T.SYS/A/KR-BSR/B003)
Reporter: antara
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
