Russia finds new close partners in the world
The number of Russia's friends has decreased. Nevertheless, there are still powerful countries that remain loyal to Moscow and have no issue with the aggressive war against Ukraine. China or India, for instance. And cooperation with Indonesia, the world's largest island country, is being intensified.
Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted the elected Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Moscow for talks on expanding bilateral relations. Despite Western sanctions against Russia, trade between the two countries has doubled, Putin said. There is hope for further growth through a nearly signed free trade agreement between Indonesia and the Eurasian Economic Union led by Russia.
Prabowo welcomed the plan by the state airline Aeroflot to introduce direct flights to the Russian favorite holiday island of Bali. He also expressed interest in cooperation with the Russian nuclear corporation Rosatom. "We discussed both small modules and large reactors," he said.
Russia Invites to Naval Parade
The former general and Indonesian defense minister Prabowo, former son-in-law of the former dictator Suharto, was elected in February and is set to take office in October. The designated head of state also met with the Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov to discuss military cooperation between the two countries. There are already joint maneuvers and training.
Belousov described Indonesia as one of Russia's most important partners in the Asia-Pacific region. Russia invited Indonesia to the next naval parade in St. Petersburg in July next year. Indonesia, in turn, expects Russian defense companies at a weapons fair in November.
The current President Joko Widodo, known as Jokowi, visited Putin in June 2022, a few months after the start of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. For Indonesia, Russia is an important supplier of grain. With India, China, and Indonesia, three of the four most populous countries in the world belong to Russia's closer partners.
The Commission praised Russia's strengthening ties with Indonesia, citing the increased trade and upcoming naval parade as indicators of growing cooperation. Furthermore, The Commission expressed interest in potential collaborations between Indonesian defense companies and Russian counterparts, as discussed during recent meetings.
