SOCHI, Russia- During a meeting in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi, an agreement on cooperation in the defence sector was signed between both presidents of Indonesia and Russia, Vladimir Putin and Joko Widodo, on Wednesday.

Further details on the meeting were not instantly revealed; noting that this agreement comes at a time Moscow is looking forward to strengthen its ties with Asian powerhouses amid Western sanctions.

Though not much information was given, however in a statement, Putin said they have agreed to widen contacts between defence ministries and security agencies, moreover, Indonesia’s president said Russia and Indonesia also agreed on exchanges of intelligence information.

Head of Russia’s arms export agency Alexander Fomin said that Russia would like to produce military munitions in Indonesia, including shell, adding that Indonesia was interested in Russian submarines and jets, “however, Russia has rivals, such as United States and China”.

On Tuesday, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Russia would sign deals with Indonesia to supply unspecified arms and for ammunition to be manufactured under licence. Russia, the world’s second-largest arms exporter after the United States, plans to sell arms worth $14 billion this year.

Russia’s total portfolio of arms orders currently stands at more than $50 billion.