Russia-ASEAN- great cooperation potential

Potential for cooperation between Russia and the ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations allows to set large-scale goals, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, a participant in the forum, has stated, noting that Russia’s targets joining integration processes planned by the Association, such as creating a joint economic community in the region by 2015.

The forum that was held on Indonesia’s Bali comprised a series of bilateral meetings, including a Russia-ASEAN ministerial meeting and the East Asia Summit for the first time featuring Moscow and Washington.

Russia wanted to check the implementation of previous decisions in the sphere of economy, energy, science and fight against threats and challenges. ASEAN has shown interest in Russia’s proposals, Lavrov said

"ASEAN countries are greatly interested in oil and gas cooperation, together with peaceful nukes, transport and logistics projects which are to be considered at the Irkutsk and Khabarovsk forums this year. We have serious plans."

Russia-ASEAN ties are seeing progress - the parties increased bilateral turnover three-fold since the first 2005 summit - from $4 bn to 12.5 bn. That is especially significant at a time of the global recession triggered by the crisis. Lavrov believes that bilateral turnover has a great potential and should be built up further.

Russia also wants integration into Asia and the Pacific, already being an active member of the APEC forum, which it is to preside in 2012 and getting ready for the Vladivostok summit scheduled for this September. In 2010 Russia and the US joined the East Asia Summit also comprising 16 Asia and the Pacific states which are to meet again this November joined by Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama.

Russia and ASEAN established ties in 1996 and are now economic and political partners. ASEAN mainly needs Russia’s involvement into relations with China, says ASEAN expert Viktor Sumsky

"The countries are concerned with China-US rivalry on their territory and Russia has been invited as a general balance, not counterbalance to China. Russia has repeatedly proved its peaceful intentions in the region and may deter the belligerent parties. That is important as balance and prosperity in the region depend on stability-oriented powers."

Russia’s efforts also provided for a breakthrough in security at the summit, Indonesia FM and the forum’s president Marty Natalegawa said. The countries managed to agree on a nuke-free zone in the region, as the two Koreas agreed to resume talks without any preconditions after Sergey Lavrov had met with his N.Korean counterpart Pak Ui Chun during the Russia-ASEAN session. The parties talked Korea’s nukes and N.Korean diplomat thanked Russia for its mediation efforts in resuming the six- party talks, featuring Russia, China, the US, Japan and the Koreas. They were launched in 2003 and have been at a deadlock since 2008. However, this time the two Korean delegations talked and confirmed their readiness to implement the 2005 agreement on nuclear disarmament which envisages shutting down N.Korea’s nuclear program in exchange for safety guarantees and aid from the global community.

Further talks will be held on Bali in November with Russia and the US being in.