MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th July, 2020) Indonesia has proposed a plan of detailed medical and economic cooperation between Russia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to combat COVID-19 in the short-term and contribute to the global recovery after the pandemic has ended, the country's ambassador in Moscow, Mohamad Wahid Supriyadi, told Sputnik in an interview.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attended a video conference alongside his ASEAN counterparts on June 17, and Supriyadi said that Jakarta is seeking extensive cooperation between both parties.
"Firstly, cooperation on a [COVID-19] vaccine and medical exchange. Secondly, encouraging the strengthening of health care cooperation through various ASEAN mechanisms. And then thirdly, how ASEAN and Russia, in particular, can work together on the post-coronavirus economic recovery," the ambassador commented.
Work is underway to prepare a comprehensive strategic document on the development of cooperation between Russia and ASEAN for the next five years, Supriyadi added.
On the issue of economic cooperation, the ambassador expressed his hope that despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, trade turnover between Russia and Indonesia would remain stable.
"If we could get this level [trade turnover] to $2.4 billion, it would be great. Last year, it was $2.45 billion," Supriyadi said.
The ambassador added that trade figures in the first quarter of this year were encouraging, noting the increase in trade from Russia.
"For example, if we look at it from the Russian side, there has been an increase [in trade] of 8 percent. On the other side, from our point of view, there has been a decrease of 17 percent," Supriyadi said, adding that many other ASEAN countries were in a similar predicament.
At the bilateral level, the ambassador also praised the cooperation between Moscow and Jakarta during the pandemic to date, particularly when it came to the repatriation of citizens.
"Of course, we are very grateful to Russia for flying to Bali and repatriating our people," the ambassador said, also expressing his gratitude to the Russian Foreign Ministry for their help in clarifying the visa status of Indonesian citizens in Russia.
Supriyadi added that good communication between various parties, including the Russian embassy in Jakarta and Russia's flag carrier Aeroflot, contributed to the successful repatriation of citizens.
"We had very good communication with the Foreign Ministry, the embassy in Jakarta and also with Aeroflot," the ambassador said.
In March, Aeroflot organized an evacuation flight to and from Bali to assist Russian citizens who were abroad at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.
