Indonesia-Russia: From the Past to the Future, The Historical and Geopolitical Perspective

Nowadays, the uncertainty about our future has become very real. The vigorous national and international landscapes have encountered a sharp escalation, which affected each other. No country or territory is free from external influences because information and communication technology have reached even the most hidden corners of the world. The only certainty is called “The Past” and no one could change it.

The past events are completely and accurately recorded in the archives. They are deposits of a series of stories, events, and experiences of humans, organizations, nations, and countries that are as colorful as a rainbow. Success and failure, joy and bitterness, satisfaction and disappointment, everything whether black or white are impartially recorded and stored in archives, the history of the past.

Indonesia - Russia relations are in the same circumstances. It is colorful like flowers in a garden, sometimes blooming, sometimes fading, and even wilting. The past of Indonesia-Russia relations recorded in the archives is a certainty that can no longer be changed. The archives will always reveal the truth when a manipulation emerges. Truth and certainty about the past are inspirations for the future. They are materials that achieve ideal purposes. It includes the story about the past between Indonesia and Russia, which was a lesson to live in the present and reach the future.

In the field of archives, the National Archives of the Republic of Indonesia (ANRI) as a representative of Indonesia, and the Federal Archival Agency (Russian Federation) as a representative of Russia already signed a Memorandum on Cooperation (MoC) in the Field of Archives Matters in 2016 and already conduct several implementations such as a field study of task knowledge for the quality improvement for the development in the implementation of asset archives and e-archives including the exchange data of archives and also a joint exhibition of archives and paintings at the National Gallery, Jakarta to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the bilateral relationship between Indonesia – Russia. Thus, this cooperation still continues until today. 

In connection with that successful cooperation, the National Archives of the Republic of Indonesia in collaboration with the Federal Archival Agency of the Russian Federation and the Valdai Discussion Club, will hold a seminar on “Indonesia-Russia: From the Past to the Future, The Historical and Geopolitical Perspective". 

This seminar is focused on discussing the relations between Indonesia and Russia from the historical and geopolitical perspective based on the archives to produce important recommendations in finding a basis for accelerating new relations between Indonesia and Russia.