Indonesian President Prabovo Judeto left a G7 Summit last month to visit Russia, where he and his counterpart, Vladimir Putin agreed that the bilateral ties “are getting stronger again.”
Prabovo’s office said in a statement after the visit, “My meeting with President Putin was intense, warm and productive today. Economics, technical cooperation, business, investment and all areas of agriculture, they all have significant improvement experience.”
Part of the 75th anniversary of Indonesia-Russian diplomatic relations officially, Prabovo’s three-day visit to the G7 Summit in Canada had a chance to meet US President Donald Trump for the first time at the G7 Summit in Canada.
Standing next to Putin, Prabovo said that Indonesia would not follow the philosophy of “the greatest and most powerful power in the world” and described Russia and China as the “double standards” and described as defenders of “The Downroden and Obudited” without “double standards”.
Prabovo’s journey was his third in two years after Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s latest visit to Russia.
Although Indonesia and Malaysia investigated Russia’s attack on Ukraine in early 2022, they were specificly running. In early 2024, his public statements have such a large Pro-Moscow.
During his visit to Vladivostoc in September last year, Anwar referred to Western sanctions for Putin’s “vision and leadership” and his “determination … to survive,”.
So he made Moscow the champion for “remarkable soft power”, which has “earned global respect and praise, which affects the hearts and minds of people around the world.”
Indonesia and Malaysia balance interest
Prabovo and Anwar “are willing to strengthen the non-comprehension of their countries by chasing a more balanced foreign policy, including close ties with both Russia and China,” Ian Story, Senior partner of the Ian Story, Singapore-Yusofy Ishaq Institute and the author of the newly released book, ‘Russia of Putin and South East Asia’.
He said, “A more balanced Forebin policy involves strengthening economic connection with Moscow, even though business and investment relationship opportunities with Russia are quite limited,” he said.
Despite the boundaries, Russia’s bilateral trade with the Association of Southeast Asian countries (ASEAN) countries increased at a record high of $ 22 billion in 2023, according to Russian data cited by an Australian think tank, Lovi Institute. It represents an increase of more than 14% year-year. This growth trend is expected to continue.
Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta are searching for possible ways to expand trade, including weapons imports. Energy is another important area of cooperation, specific to Indonesia, which still depends on coal as a source of power.
Many South East Asian states are interested in export of electrical goods and machinery to Russia, which have faced Western sanctions since 2022.
They are keen to use Russian expertise to develop their civil nuclear power fields. Last month, Vietnam and Moscow agreed to rapid track agreements that could help Russian firms to build the first nuclear power plants of Vietnam.
In February, ASEAN General Secretary Cao Kim Hour opened at the exhibition on the exhibition on the ASEAN-Russia cooperation in civil nuclear power and technology at the headquarters of the regional block in Jakarta.
Last month, in St. Petersburg, Indonesia’s sovereign wealth funds, danatara, and Russian Direct Investment Fund signed for an agreement to make an € 2 billion investment funds.
Alternative international forum
While many Asian countries are looking to join multilateral organizations, the Economic Cooperation and Development Organization (OECD) discovered Thailand’s successful bid, many have seen Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa) as an alternative region for global politics.
Indonesia is now a formal member of BRICS, while Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam are partners.
Although the governments of Malaysia and Indonesia started their debut with Russia before returning to the White House in January, Washington away from the international organization Sion, assuring man leaders that they cannot count any kind and the future son of the western -backed international order can end, the analyst has to say.
“Recent changes in US administration and BRICS membership have given both governments more space to attach Russia to attach Russia” Weekly ASEAN Wonk Newsletter founder Pransant Parmeswaran said.
What do Malaysia and Indonesia want?
However, it is not clear to what extent Malaysia and Indonesia engags with Russia to diversify their bilateral relations with Russia and to avoid entangling in the US China rivalry, or how much of the appellate relationship with Moscow’s vision for the world.
When asked by reporters why he turned down the G7 invitation to travel to Russia, Prabovo replied, “Don’t read too much in it … we want to be friends with everyone.”
However, attending the G7 event in Canada would have given him the first chance to meet US President Donald Trump.
However, the speech in St. Petersburg was “not convinced that Indonesia would remain neutral in the ongoing rivalry, with the US veils on one side, and a magnificent of praise for China and Russia.” Jakarta Post Analysis published this week.
Zachari Abuja, a professor at the National War College in Washington, said Russia provides “interesting models” for Indonesia and Malaysia.
It is a country that can act independently, poke the US and the West into the eye, and try to establish a new international order, “he told DW.
In the last two years, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar’s several visits to Russia have inspired the party to secure a more prominent position on the world stage, with a Honorary Research Associate Bridge Welsh, a Honorary Research Associate of Nottingham, told DW.
But it is such that Russia is “popular at home due to Western anti-Westernism, many Malaysians believe the US provoked Ukraine,” he said.
This year’s South East Asia Survey, a survey by the “Aristocrat” opinion in the area organized by the South East Asia Survey, Isa-Eusoff Ishaq Institute found that the anti-Western spirit in Muslim majority Indonesia and Malaysia is riding high riding, due to the support of the West for Israel in its central Eastern wars on a large scale.
Edited by: Wesley Rahan
