Road to Jakarta: How Belarus is building a bridge to one of Asia’s centers of power
When people talk about Southeast Asian countries, they most often recall Singapore’s economic miracle, Vietnam’s factories, or Thailand’s tourist beaches. Yet the true giant of the region is Indonesia. A state with a population of over 280 million, the largest economy in ASEAN, and one of the fastest-growing countries in the Global South, it is gradually becoming a center of global politics and trade. Minsk intends to develop relations with Jakarta, and the upcoming official visit of Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko to Indonesia will be a continuation of the policy to strengthen Belarus’ position in new centers of economic growth. In this review we explore why Indonesia occupies a special place in this strategy and what opportunities are opening up for the two countries.
