Lavrov: Strengthening Relations with Islamic Countries is A Priority of Russian Foreign Policy
Moscow, MINA – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that strengthening relations with the countries of the Islamic world is one of Russia’s foreign policy priorities.
“Russia as the largest Eurasian power, a state, a civilization, maintains good, fair, respectful relations with all countries of the Islamic world,” he said at a meeting of the Russia-Islamic World Strategic Vision Group. This was reported by the Russian News Agency TASS on Monday.
“The development of such relations is one of Russia’s continued foreign policy priorities.” he insisted.
Lavrov emphasized that Russia along with its allies of Muslim countries emphasizes the establishment of a more just and democratic multipolar world order based on the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. Lavrov also rejects the ultra-liberal values that the collective West is aggressively pursuing.
According to Lavrov, Russia’s foreign policy with the countries of the Islamic world will be based on the principles of justice, mutual respect and mutually beneficial cooperation. Apart from that, Lavrov also highlighted that the development of relations with the countries of the Islamic world is in the common interest of achieving global stability and peace.
Although not specifically mentioned, Indonesia as a country with a Muslim majority population is one of the countries with good relations with Russia.
The two countries have diplomatic relations since the 1950s and have cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, technology, and defence. In 2019, the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries reached $2.7 billion and is expected to increase in the future.
Defense cooperation is also one of the focuses of bilateral relations between Russia and Indonesia. Indonesia has purchased weapons and military equipment from Russia, including Su-35 fighter jets, Mi-17 helicopters, and diesel-electric submarines. (T/RE1)
Miraj News Agency (MINA)
