MOSCOW, April 15. /TASS/. The visit of Indonesia’s delegation to Russia is a confirmation of friendly ties between the defense ministries and the peoples of the two countries, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Wednesday.
"We appreciate Indonesia’s commitment to developing comprehensive cooperation with Russia, including in the military sphere," Shoigu said, opening talks with his Indonesian counterpart Ryamizard Ryacudu, who arrived in Moscow to take part in the 4th Conference on International Security.
Shoigu thanked Ryacudu for the decision to take part in the conference. "We’ll be looking forward to your speech at the plenary session," he said.
The Russian defense minister noted that "Russia and Indonesia shared a long history of cooperation."
"Our relations are based on the principles of mutual respect and mutual interest in shaping a fair and democratic world order and have good prospects," Shoigu said.
"We hope that today’s meeting will contribute to strengthening friendly relations between the armed forces of Russia and Indonesia," he added.
For his part, the Indonesian Defense Minister expressed "sincere gratitude for the warm welcome extended to his country’s delegation from the very first minutes of its visit to Russia."
"Also, I’d like to thank you for the invitation to take part in the conference, it’s a great honor for me to have an opportunity to address the conference audience tomorrow," he said.
"Indeed, the two countries have a decades-long history of bilateral relations, especially in the defense sphere," Ryacudu noted. "This interaction was especially active in the 1960s. Thanks to it, our army was one of the strongest in Asia. In those years, we purchased practically all armaments in the Soviet Union."
"I am absolutely convinced and fully agree with you that the principles serving as the basis for our relationship — mutual interest in shaping a fair world order — will give a fresh impetus to the development of our cooperation in the future," he added.