The decision by the 73-year-old ex-general has raised questions about Indonesia’s strategic direction, which is known for its ‘non-aligned’ stance
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will visit Vladimir Putin in Russia next week, skipping an in-person gathering of Western leaders at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada.
The June 18–20 visit, at the invitation of the Russian president, will include bilateral talks and participation in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Indonesia’s foreign ministry said. Before heading to Russia, Prabowo is set to visit Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
The decision to visit Putin and skip the G7 summit, despite a personal invitation from new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, has sparked questions over Jakarta’s strategic direction under the 73-year-old ex-general. Still, Indonesia has long pursued a “non-aligned” foreign policy, and the foreign ministry said the trips were planned well before the G7 invitation arrived.
“He recently received a call from the Canadian prime minister and conveyed his support for the G7 proceedings,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Rolliansyah Soemirat said in a Thursday briefing. “The president will not be attending the meeting.”
