MOSCOW, March 20The country's Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, who won the presidential elections in Indonesia, has learned over many years of his military and political career to build good relations with everyone; in his statements on international issues one can hear a desire not only to maintain ties with both the East and the West, but above all — respect the interests of their country, build up economic and military power, increase its role in the international arena, including taking on the role of a peacemaker and mediator in conflict resolution; provides the most striking statements of the elected head of the country on international issues.
About Russia Subianto visited Russia twice — in 2020. In May, he was present as a guest of honor at the celebration of the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Before this, in January, after negotiations with the Russian Defense Minister, Army General Sergei Shoigu, he said: “We in Indonesia consider Russia as one of the largest powers in the world. Russia, and previously the Soviet Union, have always helped Indonesia in difficult times, have always been on Indonesia’s side. We have always wanted and want to be close to Russia, to develop friendly relations with it.»
In his homeland, the Indonesian Defense Minister, speaking to the military, also noted close relations and called for emulation of the Russian army. «Compared to Russia, approximately what level is Indonesia's military power at? Of course, the Russian army is an order of magnitude higher and better. But this can be used as a guideline and motivation for Indonesia so that we are more enthusiastic about the development of our country's armed forces «, he said.
«Indonesia and Russia have maintained friendly relations for a long time. Since the times of the USSR (our countries — ed.) they have established strong cooperation in various aspects, including in the military sphere,» Subianto said.
In November 2023, Subianto, already a presidential candidate, said: «We cannot forget Russia. Russia helps and helped Indonesia in difficult times. If you look at Jakarta now, you will see many large public buildings built by Russia and the Eastern Bloc countries.»
Peace initiativesOne of the brightest moments for Prabowo Subianto’s media image was his speech in June 2023 at the annual security forum “Shangri-La Dialogue” in Singapore. Then he proposed the idea of resolving the conflict in Ukraine by creating a demilitarized zone similar to the one created between South and North Korea. He said that his country is ready to provide military observers and military units to work under the auspices of the UN peacekeeping force.
In his speech, he called on “our brothers in Ukraine and Russia to reach an agreement on an immediate cessation of hostilities as soon as possible” and emphasized that “blame should not be placed on either side.”
Citing the example of the Korean settlement, he noted that “the conflict in Korea has not yet received a complete and final resolution.” “But nevertheless, there has been some form of peace there for almost five decades, which is much better than massive destruction and the death of many innocent people,” he said.
In Russia, the peace initiative was treated with respect, although experts immediately noted that the Korean scenario was unlikely. But in Ukraine, Prabowo Subianto’s proposal was met with hostility. The minister's political opponents in Indonesia also spoke out against it, arguing that his initiative runs counter to the peacemaking efforts undertaken by President Joko Widodo.
To this, the minister replied that his words do not contradict, but continue the work of the president of the country. “Last year, our president himself went to Kyiv, he himself went to Moscow. He led the efforts to restore peace. And yes, I, as Minister of Defense, must follow. This is my business,” the minister emphasized.
At the same forum in Singapore, Prabowo Subianto tried to reconcile not only Russia with Ukraine, but also China with America, calling on their leaders to wisdom and compromise in order to avoid war. He recalled that the millennia-old Chinese civilization and Western civilization, of which the United States is now the leader, have made a huge contribution to the development of all mankind, so their leaders should rely on historical experience and look for compromise solutions.
He warned the two nuclear powers against open military conflict. “If a nuclear disaster occurs, then for the Indonesians, even if we do not participate directly in the conflict, there will be no salvation, but only a slower death than that of the direct participants,” Subianto explained.
«I am confident that the leaders of China and the United States… will resolve these conflicts on the basis of compromise, cooperation and humanity, and this will lead to a peaceful resolution of the differences between them,» he said.
«Probably, they can call me an 'eternal optimist'. But I do not deny that I am an optimist. Because the only alternative to this optimistic view is such that I do not dare to consider it,» he concluded.
Multi-vectorism and partnership Subianto’s rhetoric is characterized by a refusal to “be friends with someone against someone.” Despite the desire to maintain good relations with the United States, where he once underwent military training, he did not tolerate when the Americans tried to involve him in their games and use Indonesia as a counterweight to China. In 2023, following Subianto's meeting with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the Pentagon issued a joint statement in which Subianto and Austin purportedly denounced China's expanding influence. However, Subianto denied the existence of such a conviction.
“I emphasize that we have very good relations with China, we respect each other, we have mutual understanding, we are very friendly with China. We also respect the United States, we are also friends with Russia,” the defense minister said.
He emphasized that Indonesia's position presupposes «friendship with all countries» and announced that he plans to visit Moscow and Beijing in the near future. “Perhaps we can even become a bridge between all countries,” he added then.
In November 2023, Subianto emphasized that he would “establish good relations with all countries” if he were elected president in the 2024 elections. “Essentially, my philosophy is that having a thousand friends is too little, and having one enemy is too many,” he concluded.
Besides China, Russia, USA, Subianto noted that Indonesia should also respect India and have good relations with it, as well as with Islamic countries.
Self-reliance On the other hand, in one of his election speeches on January 20, the Minister of Defense said that Indonesia has no “eternal friends” and “eternal enemies.” “Competition between nations is fierce. Don’t think that other nations love us. There are no permanent friends and permanent enemies, there are only permanent interests,” the minister emphasized, adding that by this he meant the state’s concern for the well-being of its people.
«With proper management,» Indonesia can become the world's food basket, he said. In addition, Indonesia has great potential to achieve energy self-sufficiency through the use of green energy. Subianto stressed that Indonesia must «be able to manage its wealth independently.»
In January, during an election debate, Prabowo Subianto said Indonesia «will only be respected» if it has a strong defense. The minister cited the example of Palestine, which, according to the politician, is oppressed due to the lack of military power. “I believe that only with a strong defense will we be respected. We will protect our national interests… The history of human civilization teaches that without military power, a nation will be crushed, as is happening today in the Gaza Strip… We must be strong,” the politician called.
In November, he spoke out in favor of large-scale development of the country's own high-tech kamikaze drones. «In the event of an air war that threatens Indonesia's sovereignty, we must be ready to fight back,» Subianto said.
“If Indonesia receives Rafale fighters from France and F-15EX from the United States, they can be used in combination with drones,” the minister said. He added that each fighter would have to be surrounded by at least 15 drones. Subianto also recalled the importance of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense preparing four defense satellites.
Independent position In November 2022, Subianto, speaking at a joint press conference with his American counterpart Austin, made several policy statements about Indonesia's relations with China and Russia and stated that the Indonesian army will continue to use Russian equipment and technology.
«We have a history of long and fruitful relations with Russia and China. Our relations with Russia, in particular, go back many years. Our army uses Russian equipment and technology. And this has been the case for several decades,» Subianto said.
According to the minister, Western countries know about Indonesia's relations with Russia and China and respect them. “Our American colleagues do not put pressure on us and have never demanded that we cease relations with these countries,” he added.
“As an independent and sovereign state, we have earned the right to use and purchase military equipment from various countries,” the Minister of Defense answered a journalist’s question about deals with Moscow and Beijing.
The deal to purchase Russian Su-35 fighter jets worth $1.1 billion, which has been negotiated since 2021, has not yet taken place. The Indonesian press wrote that the reason was US pressure and the threat of economic sanctions.