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Indo-Pacific gets crowded as Russia, ASEAN hold naval drills
Russia's participation in naval drills on the Indonesian coastline adds to the flurry of interest in the increasingly contested Indo-Pacific.
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An admiral inspection ceremony is held on the Russian destroyer Admiral Panteleyev during a joint exercise between the Indonesian Navy, the Russian Navy and ASEAN navies. (AFP/-)
R
ussia kicked off its first ever joint naval exercise with ASEAN member states in the Malacca Strait on Wednesday, making the Eastern European country the latest actor to show a keen interest in the increasingly contested Indo-Pacific region.
The exercise aims to upgrade interoperability among the navies involved and improve regional security in the maritime trade route, a strategic chokepoint that links the Indian and Pacific oceans and facilitates 40 percent of global trade.
Dubbed the ASEAN-Russia Naval Exercise 2021 (Arnex 2021), the three-day exercise was held in waters linking Belawan in North Sumatra and Sabang in Aceh, with Indonesia acting as its host. The location was scouted due to its proximity to other ASEAN states, which allows easier deployment of warships from neighboring countries.
Led by Marine Col. Wawan Trisatya, the exercise involves a number of warships and aircraft from the Russian Navy and navies from ASEAN member states.
Indonesia has deployed its Martadinata-class frigate KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai, while Russia is deploying its destroyer Admiral Panteleyev, an Udaloy-class vessel. Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam and Brunei have also deployed their own warships, while other member states have sent observers.
The Indonesian Navy’s First Fleet (Koarmada I) commander Rear Adm. Arsyad Abdullah said the exercise was considered a strategic move to bolster military cooperation in the region.
“The importance of this exercise is to establish diplomatic relations that could build military cooperation in the ASEAN region as well as between ASEAN and Russia,” Arsyad told reporters aboard the KRI Lepu-861 after the opening ceremony on Wednesday.
