Indonesia-Russia Deepen Cultural Ties Through Museum Collaboration

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia and Russia are exploring opportunities to strengthen cultural diplomacy through cooperation in museum development, historical preservation, and cultural data management.

Indonesian Minister of Culture Fadli Zon received Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Vladimir N. Morozov in Jakarta on Friday, February 6, 2026, for a courtesy meeting aimed at strengthening cultural diplomacy and exploring museum cooperation between the two countries.

“This is very important for us to gain more comprehensive information about these collections,” Minister Fadli Zon said in an official statement released on Saturday, February 7, as quoted by Antara.

The meeting followed earlier discussions on collaboration in historical preservation and cultural data management. Ambassador Morozov was accompanied by Vladimir N. Sautov, CEO and member of the Academic Publishing Board.

Minister Fadli highlighted plans to preserve Russia’s cultural history through cataloging manuscripts and artifacts, which would enrich research and provide greater access to historical collections. 

The Ministry also emphasized the potential for joint publications based on historical data and the involvement of correspondents to strengthen research.

Ambassador Morozov expressed Russia’s openness to further cooperation, particularly in data curation and archiving. “We have significant data and will coordinate with the Minister of Culture, while seeking recommendations on partners for deeper collaboration, especially in archiving,” he said.

Minister Fadli also noted that Indonesia had awarded the 2025 Indonesian Cultural Award to three Russian Indonesianists - Vilen Sikorsky, Victor Sumsky, and Vladimir Anisimov - for their contributions to studying and promoting Indonesian culture. The award was presented in Moscow by Indonesian Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, Brian Yuliarto.

Meanwhile, Sautov stressed that future cooperation should extend beyond artifacts to include strategic collaboration between museums. “We hope this discussion will not only focus on artifacts but also on future cooperation, including partnerships between museums in Indonesia and St. Petersburg,” he said.

The Ministry of Culture described the dialogue as an important first step toward expanding historical preservation efforts and reinforcing cultural diplomacy between Indonesia and Russia. ***