MOSCOW, February 2. /TASS/. Russia and Indonesia plan to raise their bilateral relations to the level of strategic partnership, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Indonesia’s Kompas newspaper on the 70th anniversary on diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The interview was posted on the Russian foreign ministry’s website on Sunday.
"The key item on the agenda is to raise our ties to the level of strategic partnership. We continue to work on this task with our Indonesian friends," Lavrov said.
The minister stressed that Indonesia is Russia’s major partner in Southeast Asia and the Asia Pacific region. "A regular dialogue has been established at the high and top levels. A serious legal framework has been created. The key element of it is the Declaration on the Foundations of Friendly and Partner Relations in the 21st Century that was signed in 2003," he noted.
The Russian top diplomat noted that Russians first learned about Indonesia back in the 19th century when Russian sea expeditions began to visit the archipelago’s islands. The first Russian regular consulate was opened in Batavia in 1894.
After Indonesia declared its independence in 1945, the former Soviet Union offered all-round support and assistance to the young state. "Thanks to our country’s efforts, the United Nations recognized Indonesia’s sovereignty over most of the territories of the Dutch East Indies on December 27, 1949. On January 25 and February 3, 1950, the foreign ministers exchanged telegrams on the establishment of diplomatic relations," Lavrov recalled.