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Prabowo’s meeting with Putin underscores Indonesia’s ‘friend to all’ foreign policy
- The defence minister is ‘walking the tightrope between competing global powers’ as seen by his engagements with the West, China and Russia
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Indonesia’s president-elect Prabowo Subianto’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to cap off his recent European tour underscores his ambition to be seen as a global leader with analysts saying it reaffirms Jakarta’s ‘friend to all’ approach to foreign policy.
The Indonesian defence minister met with Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on Wednesday following his visits to France, Serbia and Turkey earlier in the week.
“We consider Russia as a great friend,” Prabowo said in a statement issued by the Indonesian defence ministry. “I would like to continue to maintain and enhance this relationship. In our history, we remember Russia has always helped us in many aspects when we were in difficulties.”
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The leaders were reported to have discussed plans for Indonesia and Russia to strengthen their strategic partnership and cooperation in defence, energy and education.
According to Russian state news agency TASS, Putin said trade between Indonesia and Russia had doubled in recent years despite the West’s sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
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Putin also announced that a free-trade agreement between Indonesia and the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union was almost completed. The economic bloc also includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
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