Russia and Indonesia strengthen business ties

The Russia-Indonesia Business Forum, which took place on the sidelines of the 13th meeting of the Russian–Indonesian Joint Commission on Trade, Economic and Technical Cooperation, has completed its work in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. The organizers were the Roscongress Foundation under the Roscongress International brand and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN). The forum marked an important stage in the development of a trusting and open dialogue between the business circles of Russia and Indonesia and brought together more than 500 representatives of business, government agencies and the expert community of the two countries on one platform.

The Business Forum has become a platform for discussing, searching for and promoting initiatives and projects aimed at strengthening Russian-Indonesian cooperation. In the central event of the business program – the Russia–Indonesia plenary session: Partnership Strategy" was attended by the Co-Chairs of the Russian-Indonesian Joint Commission on Trade, Economic and Technical cooperation, Denis Manturov, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, and Airlangga Hartarto, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia. The central event of the Forum was also attended by a member of the Board of Directors, Director of Risk Management PT Pertamina (Persero) Ahmad Siddiq Badruddin, CEO of the Russian Export Center Veronika Nikishina, Vice Chairman for International Affairs of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) James Riady and Sergey Shishkarev, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Delo Group of Companies. The session was moderated by Alexander Stuglev, Chairman of the Management Board and Director of the Roscongress Foundation.

First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov noted during the plenary session that "today Russia is implementing the tasks of ensuring technological sovereignty. First of all, in high-tech industries: transport engineering, shipbuilding, pharmaceuticals, space and other fields. At the same time, Russia is open to cooperation with reliable foreign partners, in particular, Indonesia. This concerns cooperation both in the trade and economic sphere, including energy, and in humanitarian areas," he added.

The Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Airlangga Hartarto, outlined the prospects for relations between Russia and Indonesia. "I believe that today we have a favorable moment amid global uncertainty — this moment has arrived, and it is especially felt at today's business forum and during the discussions. The next step is to strengthen our trade. Yes, the volume of trade between our countries has increased by 30%, but this is not enough – we need more. And, as President Prabowo instructed me, it is necessary to finalize the free trade agreement with the EAEU in order to facilitate the trade that both Indonesia and Russia need," Airlangga Hartarto said.

Veronika Nikishina, General Director of the Russian Export Center, spoke about the future of relations between the business communities of Russia and Indonesia. "Over the decades, Russia and Indonesia have developed strong friendship and fruitful cooperation. We see that Russian business is interested in the Indonesian market and its consumer potential, and this interest is reciprocated. Our experience, equipment and technologies in the mining and oil and gas industries, hydropower, IT and many other industries are of great value here. Today, businesses are ready to cooperate in joint projects and strive to strengthen the strategic partnership between our countries," she said.

A multi-industry business mission organized by the Russian Export Center has also started its work within the framework of the Business Forum. With the support of the REC, more than 30 companies from 12 regions present their solutions to potential partners under the national brand "Made in Russia".

Sergey Shishkarev, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Delo Group of Companies, in turn, noted the enormous volume of the Indonesian food market. He recalled that Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world, and suggested increasing supplies of Russian grain and fertilizers as part of ensuring food security. "We are called upon to ensure the flow of goods and logistics, and we will follow in the wake of the trade and economic relations that are developing between our countries. We export coal, fertilizers, machine-building products, grain, which is very important, and we import agricultural goods, primarily palm oil and other products. We would like to agree on an increase in export products, which can be carried out through our terminal in the port of Novorossiysk," said Sergey Shishkarev.

During the day, the Forum program included industry-specific panel sessions "From trade to cooperation: priorities and current challenges." "Creative industries and tourism as growth points in trade in services between Russia and Indonesia", "Energy Dialogue between Russia and Indonesia: a course for expansion" and the visiting session of the Eastern Economic Forum "Expanding business cooperation through the mechanisms of scientific and educational partnership between the Russian Far East and Indonesia".

Concluding the business program of the Business Forum, Alexander Stuglev, Chairman of the Management Board and Director of the Roscongress Foundation, said that at each session there was a lot of talk about cooperation between Russia and Indonesia in the context of the country's accession to the BRICS association in January this year. "The dialogue between Russia and Indonesia will continue at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum from June 18 to 21, which will be attended by a representative delegation from Indonesia," Alexander Stuglev confirmed.

The Russia–Indonesia Business Forum was held with the support of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic, and the Russia–ASEAN Business Council.