INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Indonesia and Russia started their first joint marine drills on Monday, as the Southeast Asian island chains new leader looks for to enhance
ties with Moscow.The areas biggest economy maintains a neutral diplomacy, refusing to take sides in the Ukraine conflict or in great power
competitors in between Washington and Beijing.But recently inaugurated Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has vowed to be bolder on the
world stage and in July checked out Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin.The five-day drills will happen in two phases at a marine base in
Surabaya and in the Java Sea.Russia has sent out three corvette class warships, a medium tanker ship, a military helicopter, and a yank
boat, the Indonesian navy said in a declaration last week.Local broadcasters showed Russian ships calling into port and being welcomed by an
Indonesian marching band on Sunday ahead of the drills.Analysts say the joint exercises signal Prabowo is beginning a substantial diplomacy
shift, vowing to increase Jakartas alliances with major powers.During a visit to the Kremlin in July, Prabowo a 73-year-old ex-general
stated he wanted to deepen the relationship with Russia
We think about Russia as a terrific friend and I wish to continue to maintain and boost this relationship, Prabowo informed Putin.The
southeast Asian ASEAN bloc, which Indonesia belongs to, held joint exercises with Russia in 2021, however Jakarta had actually never held
drills alone with Moscow before this week.Jakarta has billion-dollar trade ties with Moscow, yet major arms imports have stalled recently
after Russia took Crimea in 2014 and introduced its major military offensive on Ukraine in 2022
Still, since becoming defense minister in 2019 Prabowo has kept alive a $1.1 billion Russian fighter jet deal agreed a year previously,
despite the reported danger of U.S
