Soekarno Statue To Be Established In Moscow

Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Lyudmila Vorobieva gave a press briefing in Jakarta, Wednesday (13/9/2023). (ANTARA/Cindy Frishanti)

JAKARTA - Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Lyudmila Vorobieva said that a statue of Indonesia's first president, Soekarno, would be established in Moscow in response to the inauguration of the statue of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in Jakarta.

"Now we hope that one day a statue of President Soekarno will stand in Moscow. I know the Indonesian Embassy in Moscow is responsible. They contacted the Moscow Government and have prepared a place for the statue," said Lyudmila as reported by ANTARA, on Wednesday, September 13.

A statue of President Soekarno will be erected at the Museon Art Park in Moscow, Russia.

Lyudmila continued, Indonesia and Russia will commemorate 75 years of diplomatic relations between two countries in 2025.

“I hope that by then the statue will be there and become a symbol of the traditional friendly relations that exist between the two countries,” said Lyudmila.

According to her, the statue will be a symbol of friendship and relations between Indonesia and Russia.

"President Soekarno is very well known in Russia as a leader who really facilitated our bilateral relations, so I think this (the erection of a statue of Soekarno in Moscow) is very good and timely," said Lyudmila.

Previously, a statue of Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, was erected in Mataram Park, Jakarta. The inauguration of the statue is the culmination of the 70th anniversary of Indonesia-Russia diplomatic relations in 2020.

The inauguration of the statue of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was carried out by signing an inscription by Indonesian Deputy Foreign Minister Mahendra Siregar, Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Lyudmila Vorobieva, and DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan in March 2021.