Russia, Indonesia deepen ties as Putin and Prabowo meet in St Petersburg

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said that the narration betwixt the 2 countries was ‘getting stronger again’.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto arsenic Moscow bids to fortify ties successful the Global South amid Western efforts to isolate the state pursuing its warfare connected Ukraine.

On Thursday, Putin and Prabowo met successful the Russian metropolis of St Petersburg and signed a declaration connected strategical partnership.

Danatara, Indonesia’s sovereign wealthiness fund, and the Russian Direct Investment Fund, whose CEOs were besides successful Saint Petersburg, signed an statement to make an concern money worthy 2 cardinal euros ($2.29bn).

In a connection aft the talks, Prabowo said that the narration betwixt the 2 countries was “getting stronger again”.

“My gathering with President Putin contiguous was intense, lukewarm and productive. In each fields of economics, method cooperation, trade, investment, agriculture – they each person experienced important improvements,” helium said.

Moreover, during the gathering astatine the Konstantin Palace, Putin acknowledged Indonesia’s introduction into the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) grouping of emerging economies arsenic a afloat member.

Core BRICS state representatives, President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of China Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov astatine a 2023 acme successful Johannesburg [File: Gianluigi Guercia/Reuters]

“Our relations with Indonesia are processing steadily. Trade turnover is growing. We person bully prospects successful a fig of promising and precise absorbing areas of cooperation,” Putin said, according to Russian authorities quality outlet TASS.

“This includes agriculture, space, and energy, arsenic good arsenic military-technical cooperation. Our enactment is precise great, and it is growing,” helium added.

As Southeast Asia’s largest system relies chiefly connected ember arsenic a root of power, contempt its monolithic imaginable for renewable vigor sources specified arsenic hydro, solar, and geothermal, Indonesia is seeking to boost powerfulness procreation portion capping its c emissions, considering atomic powerfulness arsenic a solution.

With Jakarta maintaining a neutral overseas policy, it has walked a delicate equilibrium betwixt determination competitors, China and the United States.

But Prabowo, who came to powerfulness past year, has looked to diversify the country’s alliances alternatively of relying heavy connected Western partners.

His determination to skip the G7 summit successful Canada this week successful favour of talks with Putin raised fears of a tilt towards Moscow, analysts person said, aft the 2 countries held their archetypal associated naval drills past year.

Meanwhile, the Russian person said that connected Friday, helium and Prabowo volition instrumentality portion successful the plenary league of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.