Russian FM Lavrov To Attend ASEAN Meetings In Kuala Lumpur Next Week

By Rohani Mohd Ibrahim

KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 (Bernama) -- Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is scheduled to be in Malaysia next week for the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and Related Meetings.

He is expected to participate in three key ASEAN-related meetings on July 10 and 11.

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They are the ASEAN-Post Ministerial Conference with Russia, the 15th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting, and the 32nd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), an official from the Russian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur told Bernama on Thursday.

When asked if there would be other meetings, the official did not rule out the possibility of Lavrov having bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the main event. 

“There will be meetings, but we cannot confirm right now, “ the official said. 

Sputnik/RIA Novosti reported on Wednesday that during the Russia-ASEAN ministerial meeting, Moscow expects a substantive dialogue on a wide range of issues of cooperation with the association in the fields of politics and security, trade, and economy, as well as social and cultural spheres.

“For our part, we intend to focus on the growing risks associated with the militarisation of the Asia-Pacific region, the expansion of the network of so-called Pacific bloc mechanisms, attempts by Euro-Atlanticists to consolidate NATO's power potential in Asia, undermine the existing ASEAN security architecture, and focus all practical work on alternative formats that serve the Western agenda," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova Zakharova was quoted as saying.

“For their part, we will also confirm the central role of ASEAN in ensuring stability and inclusive cooperation in the region.

“In the substantive plan, we will focus on the preparation of new joint work programmes for the period from 2026 to 2030. The main focus will be on the development of high-tech and knowledge-intensive sectors, smart cities, cooperation in the fields of digitalisation, energy and other promising areas,” she said. 

The EAS is a regional platform that aims to facilitate dialogue and cooperation among its member countries, while the ARF serves as a platform for security dialogue and cooperation.  

Malaysia will host the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, scheduled to take place at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), from July 8 to 11.

Malaysia took over the ASEAN chair on Jan 1 this year from Laos. This is the fifth time Malaysia is serving as ASEAN Chair, having previously held the role in 1977, 1997, 2005 and 2015.

Russia established relations with ASEAN in 1991 and became its full-fledged Dialogue Partner in 1996.

In 2018, they elevated the relations to a Strategic Partnership.

-- BERNAMA