Prabowo receives report from Bahlil on energy cooperation negotiations with Russia

Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Thursday, received a report from the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia regarding the results of negotiations on Indonesia-Russia cooperation in the energy sector, including the purchase of crude oil from Russia.

Cabinet Secretary (Seskab) Teddy Indra Wijaya, during a press conference with Bahlil at the Merdeka Palace courtyard on Thursday afternoon, explained that President Prabowo specifically tasked the ESDM Minister to follow up on the results of the meeting between President Prabowo and Russian President Vladimir Putin, by meeting the special envoy of President Putin in the energy sector, and the Russian Energy Minister.

“He (the ESDM Minister) held a meeting with the special envoy of President Putin, and the minister (Russian energy minister), and the results he reported to the President just now,” said Teddy.

In the same press conference, the ESDM Minister then outlined the points of his meeting with the Russian Government to President Prabowo. Bahlil assessed the results of his meeting with the Russian Government delegation as “quite encouraging”.

“We will receive crude oil supplies from Russia, and also from the Russian side, they are ready to build several important infrastructures in order to increase our national energy reserves and resilience,” said ESDM Minister Bahlil Lahadalia to reporters during the press conference.

“Insya Allah we will also receive support (support), but this still requires effort, still needs two-three stages of communication, but for the crude, I think it’s already, almost final,” said Bahlil Lahadalia.

On the same occasion, Bahlil explained that the energy cooperation currently being negotiated with Russia is long-term in nature.

“We know that our fuel consumption is 1.6 million barrels per day, and our lifting is only around 600,000 to 610,000 barrels per day. We still import around one million barrels per day. In the midst of these global conditions, we must be able to seek oil reserves from various sources. Not only from one country, but from almost all countries,” said Bahlil.