Indonesia is becoming increasingly popular among Russians and Bali is their favorite Indonesian destination, reports VIVA News.
According to Mikhail Y. Galuzin, the Russian Ambassador to Indonesia, Bali’s famous in all corners of Russia. In Bali, you can find not only Russian tourists from the major cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg, but also from the small towns of Russia, said Galuzin, as quoted by VIVA.
Knowledge of Indonesia in general is also reportedly growing in Russia society. For instance, just weeks after President Joko Widodo’s inauguration, the new leader was a discussion topic in the popular Russian radio program Echo Moscow.
Economic cooperation is another factor strengthening Indonesia’s presence in Russia, says Galuzin. Both countries are known to participate in the Indonesia-Russia Joint Commission on economics, trade, and technical cooperation projects.
But this “ love affair” isn’t just one-sided. Indonesians are becoming increasingly interested in Russia on the flip side. The number of Indonesian students going to Russia is rising, The number of scholarships for Indonesian students to go to Russia has climbed two-fold says Galuzin.
Galuzin has expressed high hopes for Russian-Indonesian cooperation while under the Jokowi administration. Vladimir Putin and Jokowi met for the first time at the APEC meeting in Beijing last November, which provides a great outlook, says Galuzin.
Photo: Russian embassy of Indonesia
