Surabaya: Indonesia and Russia on Monday commenced their inaugural joint naval exercise in the Java Sea, marking a significant step in the defense collaboration between the two nations. The exercises began with an opening ceremony held in Surabaya, East Java, attended by key officials, including Sergey Tolchenov, Russia’s Ambassador to Indonesia.
According to Anadolu Agency, the joint naval drills aim to bolster “strategic cooperation” and enhance the operational capabilities of both the Russian and Indonesian navies. The exercises are scheduled to occur in two phases, with Russia contributing three corvette-class warships and a medium tanker, which docked in Surabaya the day before the drills commenced.
This historic naval exercise coincides with the recent inauguration of Prabowo Subianto as Indonesia’s president. Subianto, who served as a former defense minister, assumed office last month after his election victory in February. As president-elect, he visited several countries, including Russia in July, w
here he underscored Moscow as a “friendly country” and reiterated the importance of maintaining robust bilateral relations.
In a related development, a previously signed agreement between Jakarta and Moscow for the procurement of Russian Su-35 fighter jets faced setbacks, reportedly being put on hold in 2020. Despite these delays, Ambassador Tolchenov reassured last month that the deal remains active. He mentioned that while the contracts for the Su-35 are not terminated, they are frozen, expressing optimism about future implementation and potential updates to the deal’s conditions, including possible technology transfers.