Pacific Ocean Connects Us: President Prabowo in Russian Business Forum

RRI.CO.ID, Vladivostok – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, explained why Indonesia wants to strengthen ties with Russia, particularly with its Far East region, which is geographically closer to Asia than Europe. He said Indonesia and Russia share similarities, including their connections to the Pacific Ocean.

“The Russian Far East and Indonesia are both very vast. It takes many hours to fly from one end of our territories to the other end,” he said at the 11th Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, on Thursday, September 3, 2026.

Russia is known as the world’s largest country by land area, with territory stretching from Eastern Europe to Siberia in Asia. This is the result of the eastward territorial expansion carried out by the Russian Empire centuries ago.

“But Vladivostok also feels rather close to my home. The same great ocean, the Pacific Ocean, touches the shores of Russia and also touches the shores of Indonesia,” he continued.

Speaking in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and other forum participants, President Prabowo said the Pacific Ocean should connect the two countries rather than separate them. He even described the Pacific as a bridge.

“The Pacific Ocean connects us. It is not a wall between us. It must be a highway between our two economies,” he said.

Therefore, Prabowo said he believes Indonesia and Russia can establish competitive direct two-way shipping routes between cities in Indonesia and Vladivostok, at the EEF. In addition, he said there should be direct flights between Indonesian cities and Vladivostok, allowing people from both countries to experience each other’s natural beauty.

“Direct air links would bring Russian visitors to Indonesia and Indonesian visitors to the beauty of the Russian Far East. Ships move goods, aircraft move friendship,” he said.

As of today, no direct flights from Indonesia to Vladivostok. Travel from Indonesian cities to Russia’s Far East region usually involves a stopover in cities such as Beijing, China, or Bangkok, Thailand.