Strong Bond of Old Friends

KOMPAS/NIKSON SINAGA

Commander of Fleet Command I Rear Admiral TNI Arsyad Abdullah, Russian Ambassador to ASEAN Alexander Ivanov, Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Ludmila Vorobieva (from left to right) inspect the joint exercise of the ASEAN-Russia Naval Exercise 2021 in Belawan waters, Wednesday (1/12/2011). 2021).

Diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Russia, formerly the Soviet Union, have lasted more than 70 years. A celebration would have been held last year to commemorate the relationship, had it not been for the pandemic.

Russian Federation Ambassador Lyudmila Vorobieva, in a special interview with Kompas on Wednesday (8/12/2021), said President Vladimir Putin had planned to visit Indonesia last year to commemorate the good diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The planned celebration had to be postponed to next year, which according to Vorobieva, would coincide with President Putin’s rescheduled arrival.

With Indonesia assuming the G20 presidency for 2022, Russia is looking to improve the status of relations between the two countries for strategic partnerships.

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The meeting between President Putin and President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in Sochi in August 2016 provided leverage for Indonesia to market its products to the “Beruang Merah” [red bear] country. The two leaders were resolved to gradually increase the value of trade, which at the time was US$2 billion.

By the end of 2021, the total value of Russia-Indonesia trade could reach $3 billion.

Vorobieva said the two leaders had agreed the trade value would be ramped up to $5 billion in the following few years. In the wake of the pandemic, when many businesses have been severely impacted, the trade between the two countries still increased by 30 percent, which Vorobieva hailed as an extraordinary performance.

"By the end of 2021, the total value of Russia-Indonesia trade could reach $3 billion," she said.

Kompas

Commander of Fleet Command I, Rear Admiral TNI Arsyad Abdullah, Russian Ambassador to ASEAN Alexander Ivanov, Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Ludmila Vorobieva reviewing the joint ASEAN-Russia Naval Exercise 2021 in Belawan waters, Wednesday (1/12/2021).

Indonesia’s trade surplus on exports, according to Vorobieva, should be read as the openness of the Russian market to Indonesia’s various products, including palm oil.

She said Russia did not impose any restrictions or prohibitions on Indonesian palm oil. Eastern European markets, especially Eurasia, are open to Indonesian products.

The huge demography, in which the two countries hold a combined population of more than 400 million, plus the population of Eurasia, which comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, gives Indonesian entrepreneurs big market opportunities.

Until now, said Vorobieva, discussions on the free trade agreement between Indonesia and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) were still ongoing. It is hoped that the negotiations can be completed in the near future so that Indonesia can catch up with neighbors Singapore and Vietnam, which have already established EAEU agreements.

Nuclear technology

Russia continues to explore cooperation in other sectors, such as new and renewable energy, and Vorobieva said they opened the door for Indonesia to engage further in the development and utilization of nuclear technology from her country.

Apart from oil and gas reserves, according to Vorobieva, Russia’s 20 percent of energy supply came from nuclear.

Russia is currently cooperating with 12 countries to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. She said Russia was ready to help If Indonesia decided to use nuclear as an energy source.

Indonesia is viewed as a traditional actor and driving force in the region. She ensured that Russia, as an old friend, supported the Indonesia-initiated Indo-Pacific Outlook based on common understanding.

Russia views the principle of inclusivity should be upheld in the face of other groups’ policies pushing to stamp their influences at the expense of the peace and security of the countries in the region. This should be avoided, she said.

The presence of outside powers, which Vorobieva referred to as exclusive clubs, was said to potentially cause dividing lines in the region.

This article was translated by Musthofid.