Disinformation: Misleading Narrative on Sergey Lavrov and Indonesian Journalists

Liputan6.com, Jakarta - Pro-Russian Twitter accounts are buzzing with the "celebrity" treatment of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during his visit to Jakarta, Indonesia. Two clips are circulating online which show how the local journalists were seen waiting for Sergey Lavrov en masse.

One video with mark from Russian state media Sputnik shows the caption: "Lavrov causes a stir among Indonesian journalists and poses for a picture."

That video apparently came from Maria Zakharova, spokesperson of Russian foreign minister. The tweet is gaining further attention as one user with blue checkmark also retweeted the video.

"Lavrov getting celebrity treatment in Indonesia," the user tweeted. Other Twitter users shower the video-tweet with praises for Lavrov.

In the previous day, another Twitter user shared a similar video from Russian state-media RIA Novosti. The user said Lavrov was treated like a "rockstar". That tweet was retweeted by a former member of Parliament Budiman Sudjatmiko. 

The Context

The story behind those videos was a bit complicated. Long story short, the narratives of the videos are misleading. The journalists were not waiting for Lavrov only.

The context: it was during the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference on Thursday (13/7/2023). Indonesia is the current chair of ASEAN and the country is responsible to manage the international forums this year.

During Lavrov's visit, the journalists were waiting in Shangri-La to interview the delegates, including EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell who actually answered questions.

According to the journalists in the location, Lavrov was walking toward them, and they were ready to give him questions. But somehow it turned into a selfie session. Some of the journalists said they were startled when Lavrov suddenly approached them. One journalist said she intended to record Lavrov's statement with her phone, not for selfie.

Later in that day, some Indonesian journalists at the scene were aware that the moment was made into "Russian propaganda" on Twitter. One journalist who works in an international news agency said she was ducking on time before the selfie, as she already felt something was off. Two senior journalists were relieved because they stood far away from the center. Another journalist said he already recognized Russian media team around Lavrov, so he decided to stay away from the photo op. At least one Indonesian journalist suggested to deliver protest against the Russian Embassy in Jakarta. 

After meeting Lavrov, the local journalists were still sitting in Shangri-La to interview other foreign top diplomats, although many of them—including Wang Yi of China and Penny Wong of Australia—refused to speak with the local press.

ASEAN 2023

This week, Indonesia is hosting top diplomats from all over the globe for 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (56th AMM), ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference (PMC), 24th ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (24th APT FMM), 13th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (13th EAS FMM), and 30th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).

Top diplomats who come include Antony Blinken of the US, Wang Yi of China, Hayashi Yoshimasa of Japan, Park Jin of South Korea, James Cleverly of the UK, Nanaia Mahuta of the New Zealand, among others.

In September, Indonesia will host the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta.

Update: The scene with Lavrov took place on Thursday, previously it was written on Wednesday. Adding more details about the journalists at the scene.