- Subianto, who is still serving as Indonesia's defense minister, met with President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.
- Russia generates about 20% of its power from nuclear energy, while Indonesia relies heavily on coal.
- Subianto also discussed cooperation in food security, tourism, and education.
Subianto, who is still serving as Indonesia’s defense minister before taking over the presidency from Joko Widodo in October, met with Putin at the Kremlin on Wednesday. His visit to Moscow follows a series of international trips, including to China, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, after his landslide victory in the presidential election in February.
“We consider Russia as a great friend … I come here to emphasize that I would like to enhance this relationship when I officially take over the presidency of the Republic of Indonesia,” Subianto said during a broadcast from the meeting.
“We are open to more Russian participation in our economy. In the field of nuclear energy, we have discussed with your institutions, with Rosatom, the possibility of cooperating in the field, even the small modular reactors and also the main reactors.”
Indonesia has been developing its nuclear power as part of its renewable energy mix plan and efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060. In June, during his visit to Moscow, the country’s coordinating minister for economic affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, also advocated for nuclear energy collaboration, highlighting it as an environmentally friendly alternative.
Russia generates about 20 percent of its power from nuclear energy, though natural gas still provides most of its electricity. In contrast, Indonesia relies heavily on coal to meet its domestic energy demand and does not have any nuclear power plants. The Southeast Asian nation currently operates three nuclear reactors used for research.
Subianto also discussed cooperation in food security, tourism, and education during his meeting with Putin, who expressed Russia's interest in strengthening ties with Indonesia.
“The Indonesian market, a country with almost 300 million people, is also of great interest to Russia,” Putin told Subianto.
“We are ready to continue to increase the supply of agricultural products, carry out investment projects in the field of energy, transport, and infrastructure.”
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