St Petersburg, Rusia (ANTARA) - President Director of ANTARA news agency Akhmad Munir, along with heads of global news agencies, attended a limited meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg on Wednesday evening local time.
At the meeting, President Putin shared his vision of the current global situation with the CEOs, who were also given the opportunity to engage in dialogue during a question-and-answer session.
Munir was in St Petersburg with his colleagues from members of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) to participate in the 19th OANA General Assembly, hosted by Russia's TASS news agency.
The meeting between Putin and the CEOs of ANTARA and global news agencies coincided with President Prabowo Subianto's arrival in Saint Petersburg for his visit, which will continue until June 20.
The Indonesian president and his entourage arrived at around 6 p.m. local time. Prabowo's visit followed Putin's invitation to participate in the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
Reflecting on the meeting with Putin, Munir stated that the CEOs of global news agencies, including Xinhua, Reuters, Associated Press, Anadolu, AFP, and Vietnam News Agency, engaged in a "dynamic and productive dialogue."
"We get insightful information from President Putin on current issues, such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and other geopolitical developments," he remarked, adding that Russia shared its viewpoints during the meeting.
The meeting, held at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, allowed Munir to sit face-to-face with President Putin and provided him an opportunity to speak.
He expressed ANTARA's gratitude for the honor of meeting the Russian head of state, especially as it coincided with President Prabowo's visit to Russia, which he described as "cemented with goodwill" to strengthen bilateral ties.
Meanwhile, before Prabowo's arrival, Foreign Minister Sugiono and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, met in Moscow to discuss efforts to elevate bilateral relations to the level of a strategic partnership.
According to the Indonesian Foreign Ministry's statement, Minister Sugiono encouraged Russia to continue strengthening cooperation across various sectors in the spirit of mutual benefit.
In response to Prabowo's visit, Head of the House of Representatives' Commission XI, Mukhamad Misbakhun, described it as a key opportunity to deepen economic and diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Misbakhun, who leads the House commission overseeing finance, said Prabowo's visit is a timely and strategic move, as the two countries mark 75 years of diplomatic relations this year.
