Glembert
KN. Indonesia’s first joint military drills with Russia this week signal that new President Prabowo Subianto will seek a bigger role for Jakarta on the world stage as part of a significant foreign policy shift, analysts say. Prabowo has called for stronger ties with Moscow despite Western pressure on Jakarta. CSIS researcher Pieter Pandie said it was part of a larger effort to improve relations with anyone, regardless of Indonesia’s geopolitical bloc, as long as it benefits Indonesia. Pieter said he expected the exercises to not be as advanced as the annual Super Garuda Shield drills which Indonesia hosted with the U.S. and other allies.
Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Sergey Tolchenov has responded to Indonesia’s plans to purchase Russian-made defense equipment. Tolchenov said that negotiations between Indonesia and Russia over defense equipment took place behind closed doors. This step was taken to avoid interference from specific parties in the negotiation process. He said that several issues in bilateral relations, particularly in the defense sector, were discussed in private. He added that some “unfriendly” countries tend to impede cooperation if information is made public.
