Asean members, Russia holding first naval drills off Indonesia’s coast

All 10 Asean members are taking part in the naval exercises with Russia along the Strait of Malacca, which will continue until Saturday
An analyst said the exercise would reaffirm Asean’s principle of non-alignment, particularly given regional tensions over the South China Sea

Asean

Agence France-Presse

Published: 8:00am, 2 Dec 2021

Why you can trust SCMP

Russia and a number of Southeast Asian countries on Wednesday kicked off their first ever joint naval exercise along the Strait of Malacca, one of the world’s most important shipping lanes, Indonesia’s navy said.

The drills come at a time of growing tensions in the Pacific, particularly around the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost in its entirety.

All 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), took part in Wednesday’s drills.

Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar and Brunei provided warships or aircraft, with the Philippines taking part as a virtual observer.

01:29

China and Russia conduct joint naval drills in Sea of Japan

The exercises will continue until Saturday.

“This exercise is about peace, stability and prosperity in the region,” Russia’s ambassador to the bloc Alexander Ivanov said in a statement.

Indonesian first fleet commander Arsyad Abdullah said the exercise would “enhance the interoperability and understanding between the Russian and Asean militaries”.

One analyst said the exercise would reaffirm the Asean bloc’s principle of non-alignment, particularly given regional tensions.

An admiral inspection ceremony on the Russian destroyer Admiral Panteleyev off the waters of Belawan during a joint exercise between the Indonesian Navy, the Russian Navy and Asean members on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

“It is important for us to ensure the balance of power in our region, to reiterate that this is a non-aligned region,” said Connie Rahakundini Bakrie, an Indonesian military analyst from the Institute of Defence and Security Studies.

The bloc has previously held drills alongside the US and Chinese navies, while Indonesia and the United States held their biggest ever annual military exercise – known as Garuda Shield – in August.