"These exercises are about peace, stability and prosperity in the region," Mr Alexander Ivanov, Russia's ambassador to Asean, said at the start of a three-day naval drill his country launched last week in Indonesian waters off Sabang, Aceh. "We're opening a new page in our strategic partnership," he added.

The significance of this first-ever Asean-Russian naval exercise should not be exaggerated. Although Russia did dispatch to Indonesia's waters one of its better vessels - the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Panteleev - its presence was largely symbolic and the naval drill was partly "virtual".