MOSCOW, April 24 A number of officials in Indonesia have expressed dissatisfaction with the decision of Finance Minister Sri Mulyani to temporarily abandon negotiations on the purchase of Russian oil, according to the Indonesian portal CNBC Indonesia.
In 2022, Minister Mulyani and Indonesia's state oil company PT Pertamina said the country was not yet considering plans to buy crude oil from Russia. In November 2022, the director of Pertamina, Nike Vidyawati, said that the assessment of the possibility of buying oil from Russia takes into account many factors, including political and economic ones.
«Shri Mulyani and (Indonesia's Coordinating Minister of Politics, Law and Security — ed.) Mahfud deliberately mislead the public, and especially members of parliament, by not providing accurate data on the reasons for refusing Russian oil. These high-ranking officials should first of all take care of about getting us oil at the best price, not about covering our backs in connection with the recent corruption scandal,» said Indonesian MP Benny Harman. In April, Indonesia's anti-corruption committee uncovered $23 million in money laundering related to illegal transactions at the finance ministry.
According to the portal, Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno also expressed his bewilderment at the refusal of Russian oil. The oil refining industry in Indonesia is now at a critical point, he said, where it could require «large amounts of fuel all at once to support the new infrastructure.»
«As far as I know, the price of Russian oil is 30% cheaper than prices on the international market. This can greatly help many infrastructure projects in Indonesia, where all new stations are being built (for processing — ed.). At least if there is a real offer, we can consider it,» Uno said.
He added that «a number of policy considerations» should be taken into account when evaluating the possibility of buying oil. One of them is «the concern of a number of parties about the possibility of a US embargo,» as well as the fear of sanctions from the G7 countries.
In December 2022, Indonesian Ambassador to Moscow Jose Tavares said that Indonesia would seek the best price offer for oil, including through negotiations with suppliers on the world market, including Russia.