Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) shakes hands with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi after signing a memorandum of understanding in Jakarta, Indonesia, Aug. 9, 2017. (Xinhua/Zulkarnain)
JAKARTA, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov met here Wednesday to discuss security and economic relations as well as upgrading bilateral ties to strategic partnership.
During the meeting, the two sides signed a document plan of consultation between Indonesian and Russian foreign ministries for 2017 to 2019, showing great eagerness of the two ministries to intensify consultation and communication.
Speaking at a joint conference held after the meeting, Marsudi said the intention to expand bilateral ties into strategic partnership appeared during the meeting.
Marsudi said Indonesia and Russia have established comprehensive partnership since 2003, adding that it was the first of such a partnership established by Indonesia with a foreign country.
"It has been 14 years now, deserved for a 'renewing' by levitating it higher to strategic partnership," she said.
She said Indonesia is looking forward to sign Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Eurasian Economic Union, an economic pact covering northern Eurasian countries of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia that came into force in January 2015.
Two-way trade between Indonesia and Russia from January to April stood at 788.93 million U.S. dollars, up 50.77 percent from the same period last year.
