Prabowo Denies G7 Snub in Russian Forum

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Prabowo Subianto explained why he missed the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Canada on June 15-17, 2025 in favor of the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) 2025 in Russia. According to him, the SPIEF 2025 commitment came first before the G7 invite. "So, it's not because I did not respect the G7," he said at SPIEF 2025 in Russia on Friday, June 20, 2025.

The former defense minister reaffirmed that Indonesia has chosen the path of non-alignment, claiming that the country "wants to be friends with everybody."

"A thousand friends are too few, and one enemy is too many. Only through friendship and collaboration can we achieve prosperity," said Prabowo.

The Gerindra Party chair said the world is moving toward a multipolar system, instead of looking for a dominant power. Prabowo believes that many Global South countries—those considered developing—appreciate Russia and China, as both are seen as not having double standards and consistently advocating justice for all nations. 

Prabowo then mentioned Indonesia's first-semester economic growth, which exceeds 5 percent. He was confident that Indonesia's economy will reach 7 percent by the end of this year. "Our goal within four years is to achieve food self-sufficiency and become an exporter of rice and corn," he said.

In addition, Prabowo stated that the government has formed a sovereign wealth fund, Danantara, with assets worth US$1,000 billion and cash capital of US$18 billion. But Prabowo stressed that Indonesia is not seeking handouts, but collaboration. 

Prior to speaking at SPIEF 2025, Prabowo had previously met with President Vladimir Putin at the Konstantinovsky Palace in St. Petersburg on Thursday, June 19, 2025. The meeting resulted in several Memorandums of Understanding, including one regarding collaboration between Danantara and the Joint Stock Company "Management Company of Russian Direct Investment Fund."

The SPIEF event was attended by President Vladimir Putin of Russia, Prince Nasser bin Hamad Al-Khalifa of Bahrain, Vice Premier of China Ding Xuexiang, and Vice President of South Africa Paul Mashatile.

The forum was also attended by business leaders, civil society, academics, economic and business think tanks, as well as media representatives from various countries. Prabowo's visit to St. Petersburg on June 18-20, 2025, marks his first official visit there as Indonesian president.

Editor’s Choice: Prabowo Introduces Danantara at SPIEF 2025: 'We're Not Asking for Handouts'

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