Indonesia and Russia to hold first joint naval drills in Nov

Indonesia and Russia will hold their first joint naval drills in November, Jakarta's navy said on Oct 29, as the South-east Asian archipelago's new leader seeks to boost ties with Moscow.

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The region's biggest economy maintains a neutral foreign policy, refusing to take sides in the Ukraine conflict or the great power competition between Washington and Beijing.

But newly inaugurated Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has pledged to be bolder on the world stage and in July visited Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Indonesian Navy said the drills would take place from Nov 4 to 8 in the Java Sea near a naval base in Surabaya.