Excerpts from the interview of the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to ASEAN H.E. Mr. Evgeny Zagaynov 🇷🇺 to RT (March 29, 2024).

💬 On Tuesday, ASEAN Foreign Ministers issued a statement in which #ASEAN condemned in the strongest possible terms the barbaric terrorist attack in Krasnogorsk and extended its deepest sympathy and condolences to the bereaved families of the victims, the people and the Government of the Russian Federation.

It fully supported the efforts of the Government of the Russian Federation in addressing the situation and bringing the perpetrators to justice.

🤝 We highly appreciate this act of solidarity of our ASEAN partners, and especially the efforts of the Chair - the Lao PDR 🇱🇦.

Besides this consensus position that united ASEAN Member States, all of them conveyed bilaterally their messages of solidarity and support.

❗️We are ready to stand together with our ASEAN partners in fighting the absolute evil of terrorism.

🔹️Russia has been steadily developing Strategic Partnership with ASEAN in all dimensions. Security cooperation, including fighting the terrorist threats, is of special importance for both sides.

🔹️In late April, Saint Petersburg will host the next round of ASEAN-Russia Consultations of the High Representatives for Security Issues. This truly unique mechanism allows discussing a wide range of security issues, and combating terrorism is one of them.

🔹️Moreover, we have another special format - the ASEAN-Russia Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime, which is going to meet just in a few days on April 3. It will provide an opportunity to discuss how to collectively prevent and combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

🔹️Experts from ASEAN Member States' law-enforcement agencies on a regular basis participate in training courses organized by Russia 🇷🇺 annually.

📢 Ambassador of the Russian Federation to #ASEAN H.E. Mr. Evgeny Zagaynov 🇷🇺 on current state of the ASEAN-Russia Strategic Partnership, Lao PDR's 2024 ASEAN Chairmanship 🇱🇦, ties between ASEAN, EAEU and SCO, and recent developments in the Asia-Pacific in his interview to RIA Novosti.

Key points:

🔹️ Russia builds its relations with ASEAN on the basis of equality and mutual respect. Russia has never imposed and is not going to impose its will on ASEAN Member States. Our partners know and appreciate that.

🔹️Despite the unprecedented pressure from the West our ASEAN friends remain open to cooperation with our country that has stood the test of time.

🔹️ASEAN has become one of the global centers of gravity. It is both partner and friend of Russia. During the recent ASEAN-Russia Senior Officials' Meeting in Saint Petersburg 🇷🇺 in April parties have outlined steps of further deepening the ASEAN-Russia Strategic Partnership in a number of areas including science and technology, food and energy security, digitalization, education etc.

🔹️In April Saint Petersburg also hosted the 4th ASEAN-Russia Consultations of the High Representatives for Security Issues which is a unique platform that allows to discuss relevant topical matters in a frank and open manner.

🔹️Russia fully supports the Lao PDR's Chairmanship theme in 2024 "ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience" and is ready to facilitate ASEAN's efforts in its community building. Lao PDR is an old friend of Russia, we have been developing warm and multifaceted ties with Vientiane. President of the Lao PDR Thongloun Sisoulith's 🇱🇦 recent visit to Russia to celebrate the Victory Day on 9 May is another evidence of such a friendship.

🔹️The West, in its attempts to maintain its hegemony and hamper the objective process of a new polycentric world order emergence, undermines the open system of interstate relations with ASEAN in its centre.

🔹️ The militarization of the Asia-Pacific is ongoing. Under the pretext of indivisibility of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security NATO is coming to the region. The US is building up its military presence by deploying the middle-range missiles and doesn't seem to stop. We all know where it leads.

🔗https://ria.ru/20240510/zagaynov-1944982591.html

🎙 Statement by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during the UN Security Council meeting on multilateral cooperation in the interest of a more just, democratic and sustainable world order (New York, July 16, 2024)

💬 The actions of the US and its allies are hindering international cooperation and the creation of a more just world. They have taken countries and regions hostage, prevent nations from realising their sovereign rights declared in the UN Charter

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I am confident that this situation can be changed if there is good will, of course. To stop the implementation of a negative scenario, we would like to propose to discuss a number of steps towards restoring trust and stabilising the international situation.

1. The root causes of the ongoing crisis in Europe should be eliminated once and for all. The conditions for restoring stable peace in Ukraine have been put forth by President of Russia Vladimir Putin.

A political and diplomatic settlement should be complemented with practical steps, to be taken in the West and the Euro-Atlantic community, to remove threats to the Russian Federation. The coordination of mutual guarantees and agreements should be based on the recognition of the new geostrategic realities on the Eurasian continent, where a continental architecture of really equal and indivisible security is taking shape. Europe risks lagging behind this objective historical process. We are ready to discuss a balance of interests.

2. The restoration of the regional and global balance of forces should be accompanied with active efforts to eliminate injustices in the global economy. There must be no monopoly in monetary and financial regulation, trade and technologies, by definition. <...>

3. Major fundamental changes are necessary in other institutes of global governance if we want them to work to the benefit of all. This primarily concerns the United Nations Organisation, which remains the embodiment of multilateralism against all the odds, with unique and universal legitimacy and universally recognised broad competencies.

An important step towards the restoration of the UN’s effectiveness would be the reconfirmation by all Member States of their commitment to the principles of the UN Charter, not selectively but in their entirety and as a whole. <...>

4. Regional associations have practical significance for the development of multipolarity, including the #CIS, the #CSTO, the #EAEU, #ASEAN, the Gulf Cooperation Council (#GCC), the Arab League, the African Union and #CELAC. <...>.

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❗️It depends on member countries alone whether our world will be diverse and equitable. The Charter of our Organisation is our foothold.

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🎙 Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks at a meeting with directors of Russian non-profit organisations (July 23, 2024)

Key talking points:

🔹The role of public diplomacy has grown compared to the earlier period, primarily when it comes to maintaining a healthy atmosphere of confidence in relations with our foreign partners and explaining problems created by the West.

🔹 This applies to the the countries which we regard as unfriendly. I believe that we should use this term for governments, whereas the mood in the countries is largely determined by people’s lives and aspirations. I do not see any nation on the planet that would be unfriendly to our people in the first place.

🔹 I am aware that pubic organisations in Western countries somehow manage to maintain ties with some of their partners in Russia. This interaction is extremely important for keeping up relations at the level of civil societies and trying to understand each other.

🔹 We are beginning to see the outlines of a new multipolar world order. Nations around the world want to see their right to rule their destinies respected, and are searching for new ways of addressing various issues as alternatives to Western solutions.

🔹 The West is not ready to engage in mutually beneficial and equal cooperation. It has been seeking to hold on to its erstwhile standing which follows the path of irreversible, albeit slow, degradation. The NATO Summit in Washington provided yet another example of this process by adopting a declaration which once again emphasised the West’s unilateral approaches.

🔹 Today, Europe has been reduced to acting as Washington’s subject. Germany, for example, is the cornerstone of European politics and economy, but it still had to stomach the terrorist attacks against the Nord Stream pipelines which undermined its economic and social wellbeing. It had to pretend that this is the way it had to be.

🔹 The process of eradicating the centralised dictatorial model that America’s globalisation has morphed into will go hand in hand with regionalisation of economic processes. Preferably, in view of their interdependence with the global economy, the developments in Eurasia, Africa and Latin America ought to be coordinated and harmonised to a certain extent. #BRICS is quite capable of doing that.

🔹 We certainly believe that the United Nations remains a unique platform for universal cooperation that has no alternative. The UN Charter principles are relevant as never before.

🔹 I said earlier that Eurasia is emerging as an independent part of the multipolar and polycentric world. We are moving forward towards creating a Greater Eurasian Partnership, something that President Vladimir Putin mentioned 10 years back.  Since then, this process has led to stronger ties between #EAEU, #SCO, and #ASEAN.

🔹 We trust that non-governmental and non-profit organisations will actively participate in these processes and continue to contribute to the overall efforts seeking to strengthen Russia’s position on the continent and around the world, including the promotion of the Russian language and our multiethnic culture.

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🗓 On July 26 and 27, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend annual ministerial events held by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (#ASEAN) in Vientiane. He will take part in foreign ministers’ meetings in the Russia-ASEAN format, as well as within the East Asia Summit (#EAS) and the ASEAN Regional Forum (#ARF).

🌏 ASEAN is currently one of the most successful regional organisations which forms the core of the integration processes in the Asia-Pacific Region. The association has created a solid network of interstate institutions involving the leading world powers, including Russia.

This year, Russia marks 20 years of joining the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (the Bali Treaty). Signed in 1976, it is one of the fundamental documents for ASEAN in terms of ensuring regional peace and stability. Geopolitical tension has been escalating in Asia-Pacific, and against this backdrop our relations with ASEAN serve as an important stabilising factor in the region.

❗️ Russia views ASEAN as one of the key partners in the context of carrying out the initiative to build a Eurasian security architecture as set forth by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.

The agenda of the July 26 #RussiaASEAN ministerial meeting covers cooperation matters in all their aspects, including politics, trade and economics, as well as social and cultural affairs within the framework of the five-year Comprehensive Plan of Action to Implement the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Russian Federation Strategic Partnership, as approved by the leaders in 2021.

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📈 In 2023, Russia’s trade with ASEAN countries increased by 14.6 percent to almost $22 billion. Accumulated investment by ASEAN countries in the Russian economy reached $3.5 billion in the first nine months of 2023, while Russia invested a total of $11.5 billion in Southeast Asia.

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Russia has coined a range of #EAS initiatives. They include creating a mechanism of pan-regional cooperation on countering epidemics and restoring economic potential by stimulating tourism. ASEAN has supported our idea of strengthening the resource of civic responsibility by improving cooperation between volunteer movements.

We consider the #ARF as one of the key platforms for discussing topical issues of the regional agenda, developing measures of mutual trust and preventive diplomacy, and boosting non-politicised practical cooperation in security.

During the forum’s 31st session on July 27, we will thoroughly discuss countering new threats and challenges, combating terrorism and transnational crime, disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and ensuring security at sea. We will summarise the results of #RussiaIndonesia co-chairmanship in the Russia-ASEAN Forum on the Safe Use of Information and Communication Technologies in 2022-2024.

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🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks at the meeting with Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Lao PDR Saleumxay Kommasith (Vientiane, July 25, 2024)

💬 I would like to thank our Lao and Chinese partners for agreeing to hold today's meeting in a trilateral format. This is an excellent opportunity for us to touch base on a wide range of issues aimed at promoting regional interconnectedness in Eurasia for the benefit of our peoples and all those who live on our continent. Additionally, we hope to discuss ways to address the challenges our countries face in strengthening food, energy and transportation security.

🇷🇺🇨🇳🇱🇦 Our three countries are united by common approaches to creating an extensive cooperation space on the continent, and strengthening cross-border transport, sales, production and logistics mechanisms.

This meeting is taking place on the sidelines of high-level #ASEAN events. The Association is a vital component of the emerging more equitable multipolar world order. ASEAN has been and remains the core of region-wide efforts aimed at ensuring a stable and secure non-bloc development of the Asia-Pacific region.

🤝 We believe that the significant potentials of Russia and China, as well as their participation in such new multilateral associations as #BRICS and the #SCO, can have a positive impact on our interaction with the Association. This will also enhance our cooperation with individual Member States of ASEAN, helping us address global and regional issues based on the comprehensive and interconnected principles of the UN Charter.

🎙 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks during his meeting with Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China Wang Yi (Vientiane, July 25, 2024)

💬 Our countries focused their agendas on undertaking a comprehensive effort to deliver on their national development goals, and the #RussiaChina strategic cooperation is designed to facilitate these efforts. President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of China Xi Jinping attach great importance to these relations and always keep them on their radar, including by exploring new horizons for our strategic partnership.

In May 2024, Beijing hosted summit talks between them. After that, the two Leaders had a conversation on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Astana, where they outlined the main directions for further strengthening our bilateral cooperation as well as the way we work together on the international stage.

🤝 Russia and China have been working in tandem on building a multipolar world order with better justice for all, guided by the principle of genuine multilateralism. In addition, they have been creating positive vibes within the United Nations and the Group of Twenty, while remaining proactive within #BRICS and the #SCO. There are other important international platforms too, including, of course, #ASEAN and the entire architecture revolving around this association. We share the view that we must do everything to prevent its destruction.

Today, we had a detailed conversation on this matter during our joint meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Lao PDR Saleumxay Kommasith, whose country currently chairs ASEAN.

☝️ We believe in the importance of continuing this dialogue in order to combine our efforts in countering any attempts by extra-regional forces to interfere in Southeast Asian affairs and to contribute to its wellbeing and prosperity.

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks at the Russia-ASEAN ministerial meeting (Vientiane, July 26, 2024)

💬 I am glad to meet with you again in Vientiane. On this occasion, I would like to express sincere gratitude to our Laotian friends for their hospitality and excellent organisation of this event.

Let me convey our special gratitude to Cambodia, the coordinator of the #RussiaASEAN dialogue over the past three years, for its responsible approach to its duties. Today, the relay baton will be passed on to Myanmar. I would like to welcome the representative of Naypyidaw. <...>

It is gratifying that our dialogue partners and we share a similar vision of the parameters of the emerging multipolar international order based on the firm foundation of the UN Charter and other norms of international law, as well as the increased role of Global South nations in multilateral organisations in line with their rapidly growing importance in the world economy and politics.

🇷🇺 Moscow has consistently supported the strengthening #ASEAN’s role in regional affairs. We firmly believe that the ASEAN-centric architecture, based on inclusiveness and equality, regard for the interests of all members, and respect for their identity, should remain the foundation of security and sustainable development in the Asia Pacific Region.

Our relations have become truly comprehensive over the past three decades. Purposeful efforts are being made to increase political and security coordination and counteract modern challenges and threats. We see positive dynamics in practical areas, including the economy, energy, agriculture, and education. A significant event was Russia gaining the ASEAN digital partner status earlier this year. Other initiatives are also being successfully implemented in various areas, including youth cooperation.

🤝 I would like to use this opportunity to welcome the representative of East Timor, a new permanent participant in Russia-ASEAN events, and wish Dili successful integration into the political and economic processes in the region.

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🎙 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks following his visit to Malaysia

📍 Kuala Lumpur, July 28, 2024

💬 Today, we held substantive and constructive talks with Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim and my colleague, Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan.

🇷🇺🇲🇾 We discussed all aspects of our bilateral cooperation. It is growing at a fast pace in many spheres, namely between the heads of various departments, including the Foreign Ministry, and parliaments, regional governments, political parties, Islamic organisations, business quarters, as well as analytical and educational centres. In short, we have wide-ranging relations. <...>

Malaysia is interested in expanding cooperation in education. About 700 Malaysian students are studying at our universities, most of them at medical departments. Russian and Malaysian universities maintain direct ties. In 2023, they signed over 30 joint documents, in particular, to launch joint educational programmes and projects in the fields of academic mobility, exchanges and the teaching of the Russian and Malay languages. <...>

🌐 We also discussed cooperation on the international stage, primarily at the UN, as well as in #ASEAN. <...>

We also exchanged views on regional matters. Just like all ASEAN countries and the Muslim world as a whole, our Malaysian friends are especially concerned about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and operations in Gaza. We share the opinion that a ceasefire must be coordinated and painful humanitarian issues addressed as soon as possible. Following that, the sides should launch talks on the practical parameters of establishing a Palestinian state.

Malaysia expressed interest in strengthening ties with #BRICS. We wholeheartedly welcome and will provide assistance to this as the group’s chair.

We talked about the situation in Ukraine and expressed gratitude to our Malaysian colleagues for their balanced and non-partisan stand based on understanding the root causes of that crisis created by the Western efforts to draw Ukraine into NATO and turn it into an “anti-Russia.”

✈️ I have invited my colleague to make a reply visit to Russia. I hope that we will be able to continue our communication soon. We have coordinated a plan of consultations between our deputy ministers and other senior officials on a broad range of international issues.

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