The annual meeting of Russia-ASEAN senior officials will begin in St. Petersburg tomorrow

Irina PETROVA

City

April 24, 2024

The program of the meeting of senior Russia-ASEAN officials at the level of deputy foreign affairs is designed for two days, it includes issues of ensuring regional security, increasing practical interaction with the ASEAN “ten”, as well as the development of cross-platform ties between ASEAN and the SCO and the EAEU.

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The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was formed in 1967. Currently, its members are ten countries: Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and East Timor have observer status. Today, ASEAN, with a population of 671.7 million people (third largest in the world), a total GDP of $3.6 trillion and foreign trade turnover of $3.3 trillion, is one of not only the largest regional, but also the most successful multilateral organizations. An open, equal and inclusive system of interstate interaction in the Asia-Pacific region has been formed around it.

The development of Russian-ASEAN cooperation is an important factor in ensuring stability in the Asia-Pacific region. Russia and the association are united by similar approaches to key international and regional problems and rejection of the logic of bloc confrontation and containment. Relations with ASEAN are among the priorities of our country, enshrined in the Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation. Russia’s dialogue partnership with the countries of the region is already more than three decades old, and five years ago it was brought to the strategic level – at the summit meeting in Singapore in November 2018, a strategic partnership between our country and the association was proclaimed.

An extensive and multi-level system of mechanisms for Russian-ASEAN interaction has been formed: meetings of leaders, meetings of foreign ministers in the “10 plus 1” format, ministerial consultations. Delegations of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation regularly attend meetings of the ASEAN Interparliamentary Assembly as observers. In August 2017, a permanent mission of Russia to ASEAN was opened in Jakarta, representing our country in the main working bodies of Russian-ASEAN interaction. Ambassadors of the region’s countries to Russia form the ASEAN Moscow Committee, which is headed by the chairman of the association.

Economic ties between Russia and ASEAN are developing dynamically. In 2023, trade turnover increased by 14.6% and amounted to $21.9 billion. The volume of accumulated investment in the domestic economy from ASEAN states reached $5.6 billion, and Russian investment in Southeast Asian countries reached $12.9 billion. Industry interaction is carried out on the basis of work programs for cooperation in energy, agriculture, as well as action plans in the fields of science, technology and innovation, education and tourism until 2025–2026. Joint projects in the field of innovation, digitalization, education, agriculture, and environmental protection are implemented using the funds of the Russia-ASEAN Dialogue Partnership Financial Fund, replenished annually from the Russian budget.

Cooperation in the energy sector is actively developing. In addition to the traditional oil, gas and coal industries, significant attention is paid to renewable, nuclear and low-carbon energy. Serious groundwork in the field of science and technology has been created by holding the Russia-ASEAN Year of Scientific and Technical Cooperation in 2022, its program was focused on promoting Russian developments in the region. Last year, Russian-ASEAN consultations on digitalization were launched, and in January of this year, Russia received the status of an ASEAN digital partner. The Russia-ASEAN Business Council helps organize business dialogues, including in the EAEU-ASEAN format (the last one took place at SPIEF in June 2023). A network of Russia-ASEAN research centers has been created. And on the sidelines of the recent World Youth Festival in Sochi, the Russia-ASEAN Youth Diplomatic Summit was held.

The material was published in the newspaper “St. Petersburg Vedomosti” No. 75 (7651) dated April 24, 2024 under the title “Ten Friends of ASEAN.”