Putin signs Indonesia arms deal

Vladimir Putin signed a major arms deal on Sept. 6 on a visit to Indonesia, signaling Russia's intent to extend its influence in another country with traditionally close links to the US. The Russian president stopped over in Jakarta for a one-day visit, on his way to the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group in Sydney. The visit - the first to the country by a Russian or Soviet leader in more than half a century -- saw Putin formally agree a $1 billion credit arrangement for Indonesia, tied in with a deal for the country to purchase 15 helicopters, 20 tanks, and two submarines from Russia. "We have agreed to expand cooperation in areas we consider most important such as energy and mining, aviation, communications and others," Putin said after talks with the Indonesian president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. "There's a good perspective to work together in the military and technical fields." Previously, Indonesia was heavily reliant on Washington for its military hardware, although its air force also uses UK-made Hawk jets, sold to the repressive former regime of President Suharto despite protests from human rights groups. "Part of [the deal with Russia] is to reduce our dependency on the United States," said Indonesia's defense minister, Juwono Sudarsono. Putin's visit follows his country's first ever joint military exercises with China on Russian soil last month, as well as similar deals for fighter jets with other south-east Asian nations, among them Malaysia. Putin expressed eagerness to strengthen ties with Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation. A series of energy deals worth billions of dollars will also be clinched. "We are ready to enhance cooperation with all interested parties to building an equitable world order, ensuring stability and security at both global and regional levels," the Russian leader wrote in an opinion piece in the Jakarta Post. Putin, who is accompanied by a number of business tycoons, is the first Russian leader to visit Indonesia since the Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev met Indonesia's first president, Sukarno. The visit comes with relations between Russia and the US -- not to mention Russia and the UK -- distinctly tepid. While Washington has criticized Russia's democracy record, Moscow mistrusts the United States' global dominance and has been courting allies around the world. Indonesia, which has already spent heavily on Russian fighter jets, was a major customer for US weaponry until Washington cut military ties in 1999 over human rights concerns. The ban was lifted in 2005, but Jakarta has continued to look elsewhere. The Hawk jets sold by Britain have been used by the Indonesian military over both East Timor and Aceh, despite assurances at the time of sale that they would not take part in counterinsurgency action.