TRIBUNNEWS.COM, JAKARTA – The Chancellor of Ad Interim who is also the Deputy Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Russia and Belarus, Azis Nurwahyudi, revealed that Indonesia's relationship with Russia is heading towards a strategic partnership.

The two countries have great potential for cooperation in various fields, such as economy, trade, tourism and education.

"In 2020, Indonesia and Russia will commemorate 70 years of diplomatic relations," said Azis Nurwahyudi, in a virtual public lecture with the theme of  Interpreting the 70 Years of Indonesian-Russian Diplomatic Relations to students majoring International Relations, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, UPN "Veteran" Yogyakarta (UPNVY), Tuesday (6/10/2020).

Azis said that the relationship between Indonesia and Russia has been established before Indonesian independence which is based on world geopolitics at that time.

Nikolai II had visited Indonesia before becoming emperor of Russia in 1890 and Russia opened a consulate office in Batavia to have closer relations and cooperation in 1894-1899.

Azis Nurwahyudi also explained that Indonesia's relationship with Russia, which was then called the Soviet Union, was very close in the 1950-1960s.

The leaders of the two countries, namely President Soekarno and Nikita Khruschev, had close ties.

President Soekarno even recorded four visits to the Soviet Union and Nikita Khruschev had also visited Indonesia.

 "Russia helped Indonesia in a lot in infrastructure development, preparation of national cadres, and procurement of defence equipment during the Old Order Era in Indonesia," said Azis Nurwahyudi.

Although there were dynamics during the New Order era in Indonesia, efforts to develop cooperation were still carried out, such as President Soeharto's visit to Moscow in 1989.

The dissolution of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991 changed the geopolitics of the international world, including the relationship between Indonesia and Russia.

Indonesia officially recognizes the Russian Federation as the legitimate replacement of the Soviet Union.

"A new chapter of Indonesian-Russian relations is entering the 21st century. One of the bases of cooperation is the Declaration of the Framework for Friendly Relations and Partnerships between the Republic of Indonesia and the Russian Federation in the 21st Century which was signed by President Megawati Soekarnoputri and President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on April 21, 2003," he continued.

The potential for cooperation between the two countries is enormous.

Russia has high technology and a good education system.

In the field of education, there are many Indonesian students studying in Russia whose numbers are increasing every year and most of them are recipients of Russian government scholarships.

Meanwhile, Indonesia is one of the tourist destinations for Russian citizens.

The Russian market also has great potential for Indonesian products, including palm oil and coffee.

In the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2020, some planned activities could not be carried out due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

A number of activities have been carried out by the Indonesian Embassy in Moscow, such as the screening of the Indonesian film "Lima" in Moscow and Kazan, Seminar in Moscow and St. Petersburg, archives exhibition, photo exhibition of Indonesia's face, business meetings and Indonesian cultural performances.

This article was published on Tribunnews.com with the title of KBRI Moskow : Hubungan Indonesia – Rusia sedang Menuju Kemitraan Strategis, https://www.tribunnews.com/internasional/2020/10/08/kbri-moskow-hubungan-indonesia-rusia-sedang-menuju-kemitraan-strategis?page=2.
Author: Larasati Dyah Utami

Editor: Theresia Felisiani