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Putin to visit RI as Moscow warms up to Jakarta
Let’s work together: Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi (right) and her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov exchange cooperation documents during a meeting at the Pancasila Building in Jakarta on Wednesday
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span class="inline inline-center">Let’s work together: Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi (right) and her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov exchange cooperation documents during a meeting at the Pancasila Building in Jakarta on Wednesday. The meeting discussed bilateral cooperation in antiterrorism, cyber security and strategic industry, as well as the planned visit of President Vladimir Putin to Indonesia.(JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit Jakarta in the near future to mark a new phase of a stronger partnership between the two countries.
The plan was raised by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a meeting with his host Retno LP Marsudi on Wednesday.
While no definite date has been revealed, Marsudi hinted both parties have started the preparations for the high-level visit.
Lavrov and Marsudi agreed that besides strengthening their economic partnership, they would also work together to fight the recently rising terrorism threat in Southeast Asia.
“Islamic State foreign fighters continue to spread their propaganda to the world. Therefore, Russia has agreed to bolster cooperation with Indonesia in the fight against terrorism,” Lavrov said in a joint press statement.
Both ministers also discussed stronger economic cooperation, especially in the aviation sector.
Shortly after meeting Retno at the Foreign Ministry in Pejambon, Lavrov rushed to a hotel on Jl. MH Thamrin to witness a presentation Russian major aircraft maker Irkut Corporation was making to Indonesian businesses and the public sector.
Irkut presented two variants of the MC-21 narrow body airliner, the MC-21-200, designed to carry 165 passengers, and the MC-21-300, designed to carry 211.
The aircraft undertook their maiden flights on May 28 and are scheduled to be operational in 2019 with Russian flag carrier Aeroflot.
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, who also attended the presentation, said he was impressed by the airplanes’ specifications, emphasizing that they would give Indonesia more options in purchasing commercial aircraft.
“If we see the numbers of passengers they could carry, this type of aircraft is suitable for the Indonesian aviation industry,” he said.
The Indonesian government is also following up on a counter-trade offer from Russian company Rostec, which wants to trade Sukhoi Su-35 “Super Flanker” heavy jet fighters for Indonesian rubber, the trade minister has stated.
Trade between Indonesia and Russia in 2016 was worth US$2.11 billion, with Indonesia posting a surplus of $411 million, compared to $1.9 billion in 2015. Indonesian non-oil exports to Russia grew 8.5 percent in the last five years and had a value of $1.3 billion in 2016.
During a meeting in Sochi, Russia, last year, Putin and President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo remarked that the business partnership between Indonesia and Russia had reached a new high, with companies from both countries on track to seal deals over oil refinery and power plant projects worth a total $15.8 billion.
Putin’s last visit to Indonesia was during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Bali in 2013, when then president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono surprised the Russian leader by playing the song “Happy Birthday” on a guitar to celebrate Putin’s 61st.
In the evening Lavrov inaugurated the office of the Russian Permanent Mission to ASEAN in Jakarta with former Russian Ambassador to Indonesia, Alexander Ivanov, who is Russia’s first ambassador to ASEAN.
Lavrov pointed out that the permanent mission confirmed that cooperation with ASEAN was a priority of Russia’s foreign policy, “as far as the Asia-Pacific region is concerned,” adding that it had been ordered to carry out specific tasks.
“One of them is to ensure the effective activities of the Russia-ASEAN cooperation committee, while the second is to contribute to the development of tools aimed at boosting cooperation between the permanent representatives of ASEAN members.”
Russia is one of ASEAN’s dialogue partners in the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).
Separately, the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom) said in a media statement sent to The Jakarta Post that it had forged a cooperation agreement with two institutions in Indonesia.
Rosatom signed a memorandum of understanding with Indonesia’s National Atomic Energy Agency (Batan) in June 2016 and with the University of Indonesia in May 2016, Rosatom said.
“These documents envisage a partnership in such areas as the exchange of learning materials, a lecturer exchange and distance education. Furthermore, it involves plans for joint symposia, workshops and internships,” it said.
