Indonesia, Russia sign extradition treaty to combat crime
- The treaty is Indonesia’s first extradition agreement with a European country
- Thousands of Russians have fled to Bali since Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine
Indonesia and Russia signed an extradition agreement on Friday which they said would help combat transnational crime and be a turning point in their relations.
The treaty – Indonesia’s first extradition agreement with a European country – was signed by Indonesian Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly and Russian Minister of Justice Konstantin Chuychenko.
Chuycenko said the agreement is key to bringing bilateral relations forward.
“With this treaty signed, we now have a legal basis for our cooperation in the sphere of combating crimes and this is going to be systematical and productive in the future,” Chuychenko said after the signing ceremony on the resort island of Bali.
Thousands of Russians and Ukrainians have fled to Bali since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russians were the second biggest group of visitors to Bali last year after Australians, and their number is predicted to continue to increase.
As Russia faces growing sanctions from Western nations over its invasion, it has sought to enhance ties with Asian and African nations it sees as not hostile. Russia’s embassy in Jakarta says Putin has offered to have Russian Railways invest in Indonesia’s new capital on Borneo island, and Russian help in building a US$22 billion refinery in East Java, among other projects.
