The 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Indonesia, which took place on February 3, 2020, increases the relevance of assessing the current state of cooperation between Moscow and Jakarta and determine its promising areas in the new global and regional context. This context is characterized by the volatility of international processes, the decreasing efficiency of their regulatory institutions, the fragmentation of the global order among the competing geopolitical mega-projects, the influence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the COVID-19 pandemics on the global development. The readiness of Moscow and Jakarta to enhance their relations to the level of the Strategic Partnership necessitates the adequate expert support for such a serious step.

The state of the Russia-Indonesia relationship impels the academic community and practitioners of the two countries, as well as observers from other states, to clarify why despite the necessary prerequisites, including the political will at the highest level, to increase the scale and quality of cooperation, Russia and Indonesia still have not been able to translate their vision into reality. In this regard, it is timely and relevant to outline specific directions, mechanisms and institutions of cooperation, the development of which will help Moscow and Jakarta to upgrade their cooperation so that it should correspond to the spirit of the forthcoming Strategic Partnership.