Indonesian President Thanks Putin as Indonesia Swiftly Joins BRICS Bloc

(MENAFN) Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto expressed his appreciation to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday for Moscow’s backing of Jakarta’s swift entry into the BRICS group of emerging economies.

Their discussion took place during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in northern Russia, as per a statement released by the Kremlin.

“I would like to express my deep gratitude to the Russian Federation for supporting Indonesia's full-fledged accession to BRICS in such a short time,” Prabowo said.

He also noted that Indonesia aims to deepen its strategic partnership with Russia, focusing heavily on enhancing trade, economic ties, and bilateral agreements. Prabowo underscored the urgency of advancing talks on a free trade deal with the Eurasian Economic Union.

Putin, in turn, expressed optimism about Indonesia’s future role within the bloc, stating that the group is becoming increasingly influential on the global stage.

"Our relations with Indonesia are developing steadily, trade turnover is growing, we have good prospects for a number of priority and very interesting areas of cooperation. This includes agriculture, space, energy, and cooperation in the field of military-technical cooperation," Putin said.

This marks President Prabowo’s inaugural visit to Russia in his official capacity, following a prior diplomatic stop in Singapore.

Indonesia officially joined BRICS earlier this year. Originally consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, the alliance expanded in January last year to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.

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