Scientific life. Congresses, conferences, and symposia

On September 27, 2005, the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences hosted a scientific inter-institute conference on "60 years of Independence of the Republic of Indonesia: results and prospects". The conference was attended by employees of IMEMO RAS, IV RAS, teachers and students of the ISAA at Moscow State University, MGIMO (U) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Eastern University of the Russian Academy of Sciences, employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, members of the Society for Cooperation and Friendship of the Russian Federation with Indonesia (OSIDI), as well as employees of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Moscow.

Opening the conference, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors. IMEMO Director, corresponding member RAN G . I. Chufrin welcomed the participants and noted the significant role of Indonesia in the region and in the modern world.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of RI Susanto Pujomartono thanked the OSIDI Society and IMEMO for organizing the conference. "The Indonesian nation," he said, " has gone through a difficult path, overcoming many obstacles, but in recent years the country has managed to achieve stability in its development. Democratic freedoms were realized, and strategic partnership between Indonesia and Russia was renewed after Megawati Sukarnoputri's visit to Russia. A declaration on cooperation and strategic partnership was signed. During the reign of President Susilo B. Yudhoyono, significant progress has been made in the economic development of Indonesia. GNP grew by 5.4% in 2004 and by 5.9% in the first months of 2005. The quality of life of the population is improving, but there is still poverty and unemployment. The government of the country has set a course for economic development, increasing employment, and fighting poverty." "We have high hopes for the development of bilateral relations between the Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation in all areas," the Ambassador said, " and we will strive to raise them to the level of the first half of the 1960s."

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Indonesia in 1999-2004 . Plotnikov spoke about the long-term struggle of the Indonesian people for independence, the history of relations between the two countries, and the Soviet support for the Indonesian people's struggle for freedom. Indonesia has passed through many trials and has passed them with dignity. He noted that the stability achieved in the country will serve its further development.

A. Yu. Drugov (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) devoted his speech to some lessons of Indonesian history, which, at least in part, are comparable to the problems facing Russian society. These are: the relationship between the powers of the political power of the center and the local administration; relations between the state and society; the relationship between national culture and local ethnic cultures; the relationship between official legal norms and religious norms and customary law. These problems are particularly complicated by the fact that confessional and ethno-cultural borders in both countries often coincide with administrative ones. In conclusion, Drugov stressed that it is advisable to hold a meeting of Russian and Indonesian experts to exchange views on these issues.

Cherie F . Sidartha (Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia) highlighted the prospects for developing relations not at the interstate level, but within the framework of people's diplomacy. He noted that the number of Russian citizens visiting Indonesia is growing. During the period from 1999 to 2003, this figure increased from 4.9 thousand people to 14.4 thousand people, i.e. almost three times. The number of Indonesian citizens who visited Russia during the same period was 1.7 thousand and 4.9 thousand, respectively. 87% of Russians are tourists traveling to Bali. Most Indonesians visit Moscow and St. Petersburg. Interesting to note, said Cherie F. Sidartha noted that 13% of Russians are residents of the Far East, which, due to geographical reasons, can become an engine for the development of relations between the peoples of Indonesia and Russia.

L. F. Pakhomova (Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences) in her presentation on "Results of six decades of Indonesia's development in figures" showed the depth and scale of transformations in the Republic of Indonesia, taking as a basis a comparative analysis of macro indicators and other statistical data and using the purchasing power parity (PPP) of the Indonesian rupiah and the US dollar. In particular, Indonesia's population has increased from 77 million in 1950 to 225 million, and its labor force has increased from 34 million to 143 million. GDP in constant prices and PPP terms increased almost 10-fold in 2000. At the same time, the per capita income increased from $ 30. In 2005, L. F. Pakhomova presented data on the dynamics of the structure of the Russian Federation.

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She noted Indonesia's place in global commodity production, among the world's leading exporters and importers, and also showed significant changes in the country's social life, in particular in the field of education, the formation and development of science. Modernization and expansion of infrastructure in accordance with the 2005-2010 plan are subordinated to the task of creating "hotbeds" of the new economy.

Berlian Helmi (First Secretary for Economic Affairs of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Moscow) devoted his report to the state of the Indonesian economy in 2004-2005 and prospects for economic development. In general, he believes that the dynamics of economic indicators in this period gives grounds to expect a higher level of economic development in the future. But there are also difficulties, in particular, the slowdown in consumption growth in 2005, the acceleration of inflation in the first quarter of 2005 as a result of both internal and external factors, and the increase in external debt by $ 2.3-3 billion. Among the factors hindering the flow of investment into the economy (public, private and foreign) is the discrepancy between a number of laws at the level of the center and at the local level. So, this applies to the tax system and the security system.

In general, Berlian Helmi said that the economic development goals for 2005 are part of the long - term plan for 2005-2009, the main goals of which are to strengthen the economic base and increase the welfare of the people. The Government's economic strategy is based on the consistent implementation of three tasks: 1) achieving high rates of economic growth by increasing exports and increasing investment, both domestic and foreign; 2) stimulating the expansion of employment; 3) supporting the development of the rural economy in order to overcome poverty.

Adek Triyana Yudhaswari, First Secretary for Social and Cultural Affairs of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Moscow, made a speech on the development of relations between Indonesia and Russia in the field of education, culture, sports, as well as in the social sphere. Diplomatic relations between Indonesia and the Soviet Union, as you know, were established in 1950.Our relations experienced fluctuations, ups and downs. Both sides not only did not benefit from this, but also lost favorable opportunities for cooperation. The closest relations between Indonesia and the USSR were in 1956-1964, and their peak is in 1962, when the Soviet Union helped Indonesia regain Irian Jaya (Papua). Later, relations between the two countries declined for various reasons, including those related to the change in Indonesia's foreign policy orientation at the beginning of the "new order" period in 1966.

After 1991, the bilateral relations between Indonesia and Russia noticeably intensified, especially after the visit of President of the Republic of Indonesia Megawati Sukarnoputri to Russia and the signing of the treaty in April 2003. The Declaration on Friendship and Partnership Relations in the XXI century and a number of other agreements in the field of education (exchange of students and teachers), in sports (training and competitions), in the field of culture (organization of exhibitions, promotion of book publishing, tourism). In addition to political and economic relations, social and cultural ties are a link in the chain of development of relations between countries.

A. V. Popov (Institute of Military Science of the Russian Academy of Sciences) described the state and problems of Russian-Indonesian military-technical cooperation. He noted that this aspect of cooperation, being currently the only significant element of economic cooperation between the two countries, is at the same time seriously constrained due to the lack of financial resources of both partners: Indonesia cannot fully pay for military supplies to Russia, and the latter is not yet going to provide the Indonesian side with appropriate export credits. (Meanwhile, according to the speaker, the allocation of such loans, including at the expense of the stable fund funds frozen abroad, could also be a significant help to the Russian military-industrial complex.) An effective tool for solving these financial problems could well be the "counter trade" mechanism, which was successfully tested by the two countries in the past few years. the first deal to supply Indonesia with four Su-27 fighter jets. A series of scandals in Indonesia related to military purchases in Russia has also become a negative factor in this area. Nevertheless, now on the agenda is the continuation of military acquisitions made under President Megawati Sukarnoputri: first of all, we are talking about the additional equipment of four Su-27 fighters, as well as the acquisition of at least 8 more fighters, which will allow the Indonesian Air Force to have a full-fledged combat squadron. Great hope indonesian

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The pilots are also responsible for the supply of Russian Mi-17 and Mi-35 helicopters (including for the needs of the ground forces). The leadership of the Indonesian Navy is also showing great interest in Russian military equipment, especially since the Marine Corps successfully uses not only modern BTR-80A, but also BTR-50 and PT-76 delivered in the early 1960s.

Completed the conference program in A . Tsyganov (ISAA) made a presentation on the current state and prospects of cooperation between Russia and Indonesia in the field of education. The speaker said that in June 2005 an agreement was signed between the University of Indonesia and Russian universities - MSU, ISAA at MSU and St. Petersburg State University, which provides for the exchange of teachers and joint research. Under the agreement, four associate professors of the University of Indonesia will study Russian at ISAA for a month. In 2005, two associate professors from Russia taught at the University of Indonesia and at the Islamic University Sjarif Chidayatullah. In addition, teachers of Moscow universities participated in the work of the linguistic congress, which was held in Jakarta. Further prospects, V. A. Tsyganov emphasized, are directly related to financial opportunities, but the mutual desire to cooperate is obvious.

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