Speaking at the 11th Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Thursday, Prabowo said stronger ties between Eurasian and Southeast Asian nations would be key to overcoming an increasingly fragmented world, casting Russia and Indonesia as gateways to their respective regions and natural partners in bridging the two.

“Supply chains are withdrawn by suspicion. Finance is divided by geography. Precisely because the world is fragmenting, every bridge built here – in food, energy, science, logistics and trade – is a practical answer,” Prabowo told the Russia-led forum, where he was invited as principal guest of honor.

“Indonesia does not want to join any military alliance, but we seek to join economic alliances. […] Not an alliance against anyone, but a partnership for the prosperity of everyone,” he said.

Russia’s pivot toward Asia took center stage this week in its easternmost major city of Vladivostok, where representatives from dozens of countries gathered to pitch and launch economic initiatives aimed at strengthening resilience and regional networks amid a fracturing global order and Moscow’s deepening isolation from the West.

The forum has largely focused on the Northern Sea Route, a maritime corridor from the Barents Sea to the North Pacific, as Moscow seeks to position it as a new global shipping route amid the war in the Middle East that rattles global supply chains.

Representing Southeast Asia’s largest economy, Prabowo, whose participation at the forum marked his fourth visit to Russia, underlined the need for countries from both regions to move decisively to build a “South-South trade architecture”. He pointed to Indonesia’s free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) as a platform for bringing the two regions together.

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