Press service of the President of the Russian Federation
Last week, a large Russian interagency delegation headed by the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation visited Indonesia and Malaysia. The tour ended in China. What was on the agenda?
Let’s start by noting that the delegation was received at the highest level — in Jakarta by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and in Kuala Lumpur by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Both leaders received messages from Russian President Vladimir Putin, including an invitation to visit Moscow.
Prabowo Subianto had already met with Vladimir Putin in July last year, when he was newly re-elected president. In addition, the Indonesian president had previously been invited to Moscow for the Victory Day parade on May 9 this year. The possibility of such a visit is quite realistic. In 2024, during Russia’s chairmanship of BRICS, it was decided to welcome Indonesia as a BRICS partner country. Under the current leadership, Indonesia is positive about developing relations with Russia. Shoigu received a particularly warm welcome. Moreover, during his tenure as Defense Minister, Shoigu established good relations with his Indonesian counterparts. Therefore, Prabowo Subianto’s trip to Moscow seems to be a logical continuation of these contacts.
Sergei Shoigu announced that the invitation to come to Russia was gladly accepted. It is also known that the Malaysian Prime Minister himself declared that he «loves Chekhov and Pasternak and will gladly come to Moscow». Now the question is when this visit will take place. In this context, Shoigu’s mission was apparently also aimed at consolidating and further developing the positive dynamics in relations with both Indonesia and Malaysia. Judging by the political topics discussed — the hot issues such as Ukraine, the Middle East, Syria, and so on — it seems that positions on key issues of the global agenda are being aligned to pave the way for potential political interaction in the period of global realignment and reformatting of the security system.
Based on Shoigu’s remarks about the deployment of American intermediate-range missiles in the Philippines, which threaten regional countries, including China, the discussions in both Asian capitals focused largely on the military-strategic situation in the region, where there are certain disagreements, including territorial disputes. Certainly, this conversation is linked to the upcoming negotiations with the United States on global security, which are long overdue and, it seems, not dismissed by the new American administration.
In Indonesia, Shoigu also met with Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin. In Malaysia — he met with the CEO of the National Security Council under the Prime Minister’s Office Nushirvan Abidin and Defense Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin. In turn, Shoigu invited his partners to participate in the next meeting of senior security officials in Moscow in May 2025. It is also expected that military delegations from the Republic of Indonesia and Malaysia will participate in the naval parade on the occasion of the celebration of the Navy Day, the International Military-Technical Forum «ARMY-2025» and the strategic command and staff exercise «Zapad-2025». By the way, ten days earlier Russian warships took part in the international naval exercises traditionally organized by Indonesia.
According to the reports on the visits, the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation was accompanied by high-ranking representatives of various Russian ministries, agencies and organizations. Judging by the reports of the negotiations and the composition of the delegation, the discussions focused on deepening cooperation between defense ministries, security services, counter-terrorism structures, as well as military-technical cooperation. Indonesia had previously expressed interest in purchasing Russian military equipment, in particular aircraft and air defense systems. It is possible that these issues were also on the agenda during the visit.
At the same time, a meeting of the Russian-Indonesian working group on energy cooperation was held. Russian companies, including Gazprom and Rosneft, are interested in long-term energy supplies to Indonesia. There are prospects for cooperation with this country in the field of geological exploration. The Russian side is ready to act as a strategic partner of Indonesia in the implementation of its national nuclear program.
An agreement has been reached with Malaysia on increasing exports of Russian hydrocarbons and fertilizers to the country, and negotiations are underway on supplies of liquefied natural gas.
But these are all concrete manifestations of deepening cooperation and a backdrop for political contacts. Security issues in the region and around the world seem to be at the forefront.
It is no coincidence that the tour ended in Beijing, where Shoigu was received by the head of the International Department of the CCP Central Committee, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and by Chinese President Xi Jinping. It was directly stated that the Russian side had informed the Chinese about the essence and prospects of the dialogue initiated with the United States. In a way, this is a continuation of the conversation that took place on February 24 between the leaders of Russia and China. Given the strategic partnership between the two countries, Beijing has the right to expect openness from Moscow, as well as confirmation of the high and special level of bilateral relations. Shoigu gave such assurances. It is logical to assume that he also briefed the Chinese on the results of the negotiations in Indonesia and Malaysia — key countries in the region where Beijing has its particular interests, while the United States, exploiting the divisions, seeks to «contain» China.
It should not be forgotten that Indonesia is the largest country in Southeast Asia and the fourth most populous country in the world. Malaysia, with its rapidly developing economy, has also become a transit point for American and European sanctioned goods destined for China. Both countries are wary of China’s ambitions in the South China Sea, but continue to maintain active economic ties with Beijing. After all, one-third of the world’s seaborne trade passes through the South China Sea, and China receives up to 80 percent of its hydrocarbon imports through this route.
Of course, we will probably never know everything that was discussed in all three capitals. But the impression is that positions are being aligned and preparations are being made for something significant. Perhaps the Russian side wants to understand the concerns and positions of key Asian countries and secure their support ahead of negotiations with the United States.