Russia and Indonesia: 70 Years of Valuable Cooperation
This year, Russia and Indonesia mark 70 years of diplomatic relations.
Sergey V. Lavrov
This year, Russia and Indonesia mark 70 years of diplomatic relations. An important moment like this is always a good opportunity to describe the journey that has been taken together and make plans for the future.
Indonesia has not been a stranger to Russian since the 19th century. Even then, Russian sea expeditions began to visit its islands. In 1806, the Nadezhda and Neva sailing vessels, helmed by I.F. Kruzenshtern and U.F. Lisyanskiy, landed in Indonesia on the first Russian tour of the world. Later in 1818 came the Ryurik, a scientific expedition, headed by the leading Russian sailor, O.E. Kotsebu.
The Vityaz corvette expedition (1886-1889) conducted a study of the Java Sea with very good results, led by the famous Russian captain S.O. Makarov. From the second half of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, Russian scientists N.N. Mikluho-Maclay, A.I. Voeikov, and V.A. Karavaev conducted research on Java and other islands in the archipelago.
Russia\'s great interest in Indonesia was proven with the opening of the first consulate in 1894 in Batavia, which was then the capital of the Dutch East Indies. Ahead of the consulate’s opening, the Russian ships Pamyaty Azova and Vladimir Monomah came to Batavia in 1890 carrying Crown Prince Nikolay II, who would later become the Emperor of Russia, on his journey to countries in the East.
Following the Independence Proclamation of the Republic of Indonesia in 1945, the Soviet Union strongly supported the young Indonesia.
Following the Independence Proclamation of the Republic of Indonesia in 1945, the Soviet Union strongly supported the young Indonesia. Thanks to our state\'s efforts at the United Nations on 27 Dec. 1949, Indonesian sovereignty over much of Dutch East Indies territory was recognized. On 25 Jan. and 3 Feb. 1950, telegrams were exchanged between the foreign ministers of the two nations on establishing diplomatic relations.
Moscow was a good friend to Jakarta while Indonesia built a state system, developed the national economy, and strengthened its position in the international arena. In 1956, President Soekarno visited the Soviet Union for the first time, while Soviet leader Nikita Khruschev visited Indonesia in 1960. The Soviet Union provided support for the efforts to liberate West Irian in 1963, which was under the control of the Dutch that did not recognize previous agreements.
Even though there were difficult periods in the 1960-1980s, nothing could hamper friendly Russian-Indonesian relations. Today, Indonesia is an important partner to Russia in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific. Dialogue has been held among high-ranking state officials and a strong legal foundation was formed, the key element to date being the Declaration of the Framework for Cooperation in Friendship and Partnership between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Indonesia in the 21st Century, signed in 2003. It aimed to increase relations between Indonesia and Russia to the level of a strategic partnership. To realize this, we are working closely with partners from Indonesia.
Inter-parliamentary ties developed gradually. Regular meetings are held at the leadership level of the legislative chambers, which function well as friendship groups.
Joint coordination efforts in practical cooperation have been implemented effectively by the Joint Russian-Indonesian Commission on Economic, Trade and Technical Cooperation, which was formed in 2002 with the establishment of eight working groups. Major projects are being realized in Indonesia with the participation of the Russian companies, JSC Russian Railways and PJSC Rosneft Oil Company.
Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey V Lavrov, on Tuesday (13/3/2018) in Moscow welcomed his partner, Indonesian Foreign Minister, Retno LP Marsudi.
There are broad opportunities to expand interaction in advanced technology, including the aircraft industry and the field of information communication technology. There is also an opportunity to mutually expand agricultural exports and imports. We are also ready to share our experience in using nuclear energy to out partners in Indonesia. We view our shared interests as not only to maintain the pace of development in practical business cooperation, but also to make every effort in encouraging the expansion of entrepreneurial ties.
High mutual trust creates a good climate for advancing cooperation in military and military engineering. High command meetings are regularly held, and Russian soldiers have taken part in joint exercises in Indonesia. An important aspect of defense cooperation is the supply of Russian defense equipment.
Indonesia and Russia cooperate closely in the managing the threats and challenges to security. Related institutions have established regular dialogue that have given positive results.
Continuous efforts are also being made to strengthen ties in education, culture, and sports. Interregional relations are very efficient. Russian tourists appreciate the hospitality at Indonesian destinations.
I especially want to emphasize effective cooperation and interaction in multilateral bodies, especially in the framework of the United Nations, of which Indonesia became a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2019.
We greatly appreciate the close contact between Russian and Indonesian diplomatic missions. Our foreign cooperation is based on similarity in approach to actual problems. I especially want to emphasize effective cooperation and interaction in multilateral bodies, especially in the framework of the United Nations, of which Indonesia became a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2019.
Russia\'s foreign policy priorities strengthen, among others, ties with ASEAN, which were upgraded to strategic partnerships in 2018. Using this opportunity, I would like to thank our Indonesian friends for their effective work as the current coordinator of the Russia-ASEAN dialogue relations.
We appreciate Jakarta\'s interest in the processes of Eurasian integration. This was evidenced in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation between the Eurasian Economic Commission and the Government of the Republic of Indonesia in 2019.
I am confident that the tradition of friendship and mutual understanding established over many decades has created the necessary precondition for further expansion and strengthening of bilateral relations. The guarantees for success in this regard, namely the feelings of mutual respect and affection that unite us, cannot be lost. In our opinion, this is a strong foundation for advancing Russian-Indonesian relations towards a new horizon.
Sergey V. Lavrov, Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation
