SIEM REAP, 28 April 2023 – ASEAN and Russia reaffirmed commitments to strengthen their strategic partnership during the 19th ASEAN-Russia Senior Officials Meeting (ARSOM) held today in Siem Reap, Kingdom of Cambodia. The Meeting was co-chaired by the Secretary of State and ASEAN-Cambodia’s SOM Leader, Kung Phoak, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and SOM Leader of the Russian Federation, Andrei Rudenko. The Meeting was attended by ASEAN SOM Leaders or their representatives, the ASEAN Secretariat, and Timor-Leste as observer.
The Meeting thanked Cambodia for its efforts as Country Coordinator for ASEAN-Russia Dialogue Relations for the period 2021-2024, and expressed support for Indonesia’s Chairmanship of ASEAN Chair this year and its theme of “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth.”
Secretary of State Kung Phoak underlined the long-standing friendship between ASEAN and Russia and stressed the importance of Russia’s firm support for ASEAN Centrality which has been reflected in Russia’s active participation in ASEAN-led mechanisms to promote peace, security, stability and socio-economic growth and prosperity in the region. He added that ASEAN and Russia need to further strengthen cooperation within the three pillars of the ASEAN Community to advance ASEAN-Russia partnership to new heights.
Deputy Minister Andrei Rudenko appreciated Cambodia for the smooth coordination of the partnership and reaffirmed Russia’s continued commitment to further enhancing ASEAN-Russia relations. He also expressed Russia’s continued support for the ASEAN Centrality in the evolving regional architecture to uphold peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
At the annual Meeting, senior officials from both sides noted the progress made in the implementation of the ASEAN-Russia Comprehensive Plan of Action (2021-2025) which guides their endeavours in realising mutually beneficial objectives of the partnership and committed to the full implementation of the remaining action lines.
The Meeting took note of Russia’s interest to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the ASEAN-Russia Strategic Partnership this year through implementing various joint activities as well as Russia’s proposal to hold several joint activities related to combatting organised crimes; micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs); sustainable development; smart cities; and education cooperation, among others.
The Meeting highlighted the importance of reinforcing cooperation in a number of key priority areas such as political and security cooperation, countering terrorism and transnational crime, ICT security, economy, industry, finance, science and technology, smart cities, energy, disaster management, health, connectivity, and Initiative for ASEAN Integration, and food security.
The Meeting also exchanged views on matters of common interest and concern relating to ASEAN-Russia interactions in the regional fora and the regional architecture in the Asia-Pacific, stressing the importance of enhancing cooperation in the Covid-19 post-recovery.
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