Sep. 12 () –
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has said he is considering importing oil from Russia to curb rising energy prices, according to an interview published Monday in Britain’s Financial Times (FT) newspaper.
Widodo has indicated that his country must analyze “all options” when it comes to greatly increasing the quantities of oil on the Russian market.
“We always monitor all the options. If the country exists and they give a better price, of course,” the Indonesian leader assured in response to the question about whether his government would buy Russian oil.
“The government has a duty to find various sources to meet the energy needs of its people. We want to find a solution,” Widodo explained.
Indonesia has not historically imported large amounts of oil from Moscow, but Putin’s offer to buy its resources at a price 30 percent lower than the international market makes the option worth considering.
Two of its regional neighbors, India and China, have already considerably increased their purchases in this area from Russia, thanks to the discount proposed by Moscow to bring countries that are not part of the sanctions led by the United States and the European Union closer together.
So if Indonesia were to join India and China, these imports would help Moscow make up for much of its lost revenue from falling shipments to Europe, according to the FT.
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