Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s participation in the upcoming ASEAN ministerial meetings

As part of the annual ministerial meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on July 12-14 in Jakarta, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will take part in the foreign ministers’ meetings in the format Russia-ASEAN, the East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Regional Forum, focusing on the tasks to strengthen the position of our country in the Asia-Pacific region and promote Russian approaches to creating an equal inclusive architecture of regional security.

ASEAN, whose relations with Russia date back over three decades, is now one of the most successful regional organisations, around which a system of interstate associations with the participation of leading world powers has been formed. The promotion of our strategic partnership with the association (it will mark five years this year) is a foreign political priority for Russia and is outlined in the recently updated Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation. Against the backdrop of a growing potential for conflict in the Asia-Pacific region and risks related to NATO’s expansion into Asia, the Russia-ASEAN dialogue is becoming an increasingly important factor in ensuring stability in the region.

During the meeting of the Russian and ASEAN member states’ foreign ministers on July 13, the participants will discuss the strengthening of interaction in the political, trade, economic, social and cultural spheres as part of the implementation of the Comprehensive Action Plan to Implement the Russia-ASEAN Strategic Partnership, approved by the leaders in 2021. Special emphasis will be placed on ensuring food and energy security.

The new Russia-ASEAN mechanisms of political interaction are functioning effectively, including the ASEAN-Russia Consultations of the High Representatives for Security Issues (the third round took place in the Moscow Region on May 23) and the ASEAN-Russia Dialogue on ICT Security-related Issues (the second round took place on December 15, 2022).

Assistance in providing the member states with the opportunity to improve the potential of their law enforcement agency personnel is being increased. The ASEAN partners are more actively taking part in both in-person and remote formats of annual additional training courses organised by the Russian Federal Security Service and the Interior Ministry, which cover the issues of countering terrorist and extremism, illegal drug trafficking and cryptocurrency crimes.

The West’s illegitimate unilateral sanctions against Russia have had a negative impact on our economic ties with the association. In 2022, mutual trade dropped by 4.4 percent to $19.1 billion. The cumulative investment in the Russian economy by the ASEAN states in 2022 stood at $5.6 billion; Russian investments in the countries of Southeast Asia were $12.9 billion. To help correct the situation, the issue of holding consultations on using national currencies in transactions is being considered.

The development of industry-specific cooperation is being facilitated by efforts to implement joint projects in agriculture, environmental protection, digitisation, and other fields.

The Russia-ASEAN Action Plan on Energy Cooperation for 2023-2025, approved in June, aims to boost cooperation in energy security. Along with the traditional oil and gas and coal industries, the document also prioritises renewable, nuclear and low-carbon energy.

A substantial foundation for the development of cooperation in science-intensive and high-tech industries has been provided by the Year of Russia-ASEAN Scientific and Technical Cooperation in 2022. This programme included a range of events in healthcare, education, energy and the peaceful use of nuclear power, with a focus on promoting Russian developments in the country’s regions. The first Russia-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Science, Technology and Innovation on February 14 was the landmark event.

Particular attention is paid to the work on launching a dialogue on digital transformation and the development of smart cities. Initial Russian-ASEAN consultations on digitisation took place in Hanoi in June this year; the possibility of holding these meetings on a regular basis is currently under consideration.

Efforts are being taken to expand contacts between business communities, with the St Petersburg International Economic Forum and Eastern Economic Forum as venues for regular business dialogue, including in the EAEU-ASEAN format, whose latest event took place at SPIEF on June 15.

Humanitarian cooperation is progressively advancing as well. Last November, the Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor) concluded its three-year series of advanced training courses for ASEAN epidemiologists at the international specialised centre in Vladivostok, while Moscow State Institute of International Relations launched a Master’s programme for ASEAN students, entitled The Political Economy of the Russia-ASEAN Strategic Partnership.

Steps are being taken to develop ASEAN’s ties with the SCO and the EAEU, with memoranda of understanding between the EEC and the SCO Secretariat serving as a foundation. The association’s secretary-general is invited to take part in SCO summits on a regular basis.

During his visit to Indonesia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will meet with ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn on July 12, aiming to intensify work with the association’s secretariat to promote the strategic partnership between Russia and the ASEAN member states.

The East Asia Summit is a forum for dialogue between the leaders of the Asia-Pacific countries on a wide scope of strategic, political and economic issues, including the goals of enhancing the regional security architecture. Priorities for industrial cooperation include energy and environmental protection, education, healthcare, emergency response, and interconnectedness.

Discussions at the upcoming East Asia Summit (EAS) foreign ministers meeting to be held on July 14 will focus on preparations for the general, 18th East Asia Summit in Jakarta in September this year, including the adoption of a roadmap for its work for 2024-2028. A traditional exchange of views on current regional and international problems will take place.

Russia’s priority is the formation of a comprehensive, open, transparent and equal architecture of security and cooperation on a collective non-bloc basis in the Asia-Pacific region. We attach great importance to this topic in this consultation platform, which was set up within the EAS at Russia’s initiative, at the level of permanent representatives of the EAS member states to ASEAN in Jakarta involving experts from the capitals. A regular meeting was held in Bandung, Indonesia, in May this year.

In the context of implementing the statement on strengthening the collective potential for countering epidemics adopted at Russia’s initiative at the 15th East Asia Summit in 2020, work continues to create a profile mechanism for pan-regional cooperation. A new area for ​​cooperation on the EAS platform is tourism. At Russia’s initiative, the corresponding goals were fixed in the statement adopted in 2021 by the leaders of the forum member states. Another track promoted by the Russian side is interaction through volunteer movements. Russia sees this dynamically developing phenomenon of civic responsibility as a good tool for deepening regional humanitarian interconnectedness and contacts between people.

We consider the ARF, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, a key platform in the Asia-Pacific region for discussing the current regional agenda and developing measures of mutual trust and strengthening non-politicised practical cooperation. For these purposes, Russia, as one of the founding countries of the forum, attaches particular importance to maintaining the principles of constructive dialogue in its activities, which includes consensus, equal participation and consideration for the interests of all member states.

During the 30th session of the forum on July 14, the issues of countering new challenges and threats, combating terrorism and transnational crime, disarmament and WMD non-proliferation will be substantively considered.

In 2023-2024, Russia (along with Indonesia) will continue to chair the ARF mechanism for the safe use of information and communication technologies.

It is expected to adopt a ministerial statement on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the forum, a work plan for the coming year, and a number of practical initiatives.