Indonesia and Russia signed an extradition deal on Friday which they say will help fight transnational crime and represent a turning point in their relationship.
The treaty – Indonesia’s first extradition deal with a European country – was signed by Indonesian Minister for Law and Human Rights Yasonna Laoly and Russian Justice Minister Konstantin Chuychenko.
Chuycenko said the deal was key to advancing bilateral relations.
“With this signed treaty, we now have a legal basis for our cooperation in the fight against crime and this will be systematic and productive in the future,” Chuychenko said after the signing ceremony on the resort island of Bali.
Thousands of Russians and Ukrainians have fled to Bali since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russians were the second largest group of visitors to Bali last year after Australians and their number is expected to continue to increase.
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Russia and Indonesia signed an extradition treaty on Friday that will help fight transnational crime. (Fox News)
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As Russia faces mounting sanctions from Western nations for its invasion, it has sought to strengthen ties with Asian and African nations it considers non-hostile. The Russian embassy in Jakarta says Putin has offered to have Russian Railways invest in Indonesia’s new capital on the island of Borneo and to help Russia build a $22 billion refinery in East Java, among the other projects.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited Moscow and Kiev last year in an unsuccessful attempt to facilitate peace talks between their leaders.
Chuychenko said he and Laoly agreed to continue cooperation in legal and judicial matters and plan to sign agreements on cybersecurity and digital cooperation during an international legal forum in St. Petersburg on May 11-13.
In 2016, Widodo rejected a Russian request to extradite six imprisoned Russian nationals, including a woman who was smuggling drugs to Indonesia and was sentenced to 16.5 years in prison, due to lack of an extradition treaty.
Laoly said the new extradition deal is a strong signal to fight money laundering and terrorist financing.
“This treaty helps us carry out legal action to extradite perpetrators of transnational crimes and corruption,” Laoly said.
