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Prabowo welcomes Putin aide despite concerns from rights groups
President Prabowo Subianto welcomed Russia’s top security official Sergei Shoigu at the Merdeka Palace on Tuesday afternoon as Jakarta and Moscow seek to strengthen defense cooperation, despite concerns from rights groups over the latter’s invasion of Ukraine.
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President Prabowo Subianto (right) talks with Secretary of the Russian Security Council Sergei K. Shoigu on Tuesday during a bilateral meeting at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta. The meeting will discuss cooperation in various fields including defense and security. (Antara Foto/Muhammad Adimaja)
P
resident Prabowo Subianto welcomed Russia’s top security official Sergei Shoigu at the Merdeka Palace on Tuesday afternoon as Jakarta and Moscow seek to strengthen defense cooperation, despite concerns from rights groups over the latter’s invasion of Ukraine.
The visit comes after the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country and Southeast Asia’s largest economy became a full member of the BRICS bloc of developing economies, an alliance of which Russia is a founding member. Jakarta was Shoigu’s first stop during a five-day Asia tour that also includes Malaysia.
In what appeared to be a cordial gesture ahead of their two-hour meeting, Prabowo extended a greeting to Putin, asking Shugoi: “How is my dear friend President Putin? Healthy?”
Shoigu replied: “Everything is fine. President Putin asked me to convey respectful greetings to Your Excellency. Furthermore, I have brought a personal letter from President Putin to Your Excellency.”
Details on their meeting have not been disclosed, but Indonesian officials said ahead of Shoigu’s arrival that the two countries would exchange views on international and regional issues, as Russia hopes to deepen its defense engagement with Southeast Asia countries.
“The visit reaffirmed Indonesia and Russia's commitment to strengthening the strategic partnership, especially in the fields of security and defense, and opening up wider opportunities for cooperation in the future,” a statement from the Presidential Palace said.
“This moment further strengthened the close relationship between the two countries in creating regional stability and mutually beneficial strategic cooperation.”
