Completing his mission in Jakarta Russian 🇷🇺 Ambassador to #ASEAN H.E. Mr. Alexander Ivanov sums up the work being done during his tenure in the article "ASEAN does matter to Russia. A lot".

💬Indeed, for the last several years Russia became an indispensable actor in the Asia Pacific. Our #ASEAN friends understand and appreciate a constructive stabilizing role of Russia 🇷🇺 with no hidden agenda in the region. Our philosophies of international relations, based on the principle of sovereign equality of nations, are similar.

❗️Our practical cooperation reached a status of strategic partnership in 2018, fixed during the Summit of our leaders in Singapore. During these years in addition to existing areas of cooperation, we have managed to launch and actively promote new ones, including Consultations of the High Representatives for Security Issues, Dialogue on ICT Security-related issues, meetings of Tourism ministers and others. In the end of 2021 we successfully held the first ASEAN-Russia Naval Exercises (#ARNEX) in the Indonesian territorial waters. In 2022 we organized a number of events within the framework of ASEAN-Russia Year of Scientific and Technical Cooperation. Dozens of joint projects were implemented and financed by Russia 🇷🇺 in various spheres ranging from agriculture to training of ASEAN health experts and specialists of law-enforcement agencies. We continued to develop practical cooperation between ASEAN and Eurasian Economic Union as well as with Shanghai Cooperation Organization, thus moving the processes of integration of integrations across the huge Eurasian continent.

🔻We firmly believe that #ASEAN-centered mechanisms of cooperation, created in the last 55 years and based on the principles of equality, mutual respect and constructive engagement, including the #EAS, #ARF and #ADMM-Plus, played the pivotal role in stabilizing the region, balancing the interests of all big players and promoting mutual trust, which are prerequisites of the Asia Pacific phenomenon of becoming the main engine of the global economic growth. For many decades there were no hot military conflicts in the region. Largely it is the merit of #ASEAN wisdom and its leading role in shaping multilateral cooperation here. That is why Russia strongly supports #ASEAN centrality in the region not only in words but in deeds. 🤝

🔻There are many internal and external challenges for #ASEAN in the turbulent situation of strategic ambiguity. I am sure that the current Indonesian 🇮🇩 Chair will be able to navigate the “ASEAN ship” through the troubled waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans.

🔗https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2023/02/06/asean-does-matter-to-russia-a-lot.html

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks and answers to media questions following the SCO Foreign Ministers Council meeting (Panaji, May 5, 2023)

#SCO

We have a common vision of problems persisting in the international arena. Our shared desire is to coordinate our actions at the #UN and on the Eurasian continent with such organisations as the #EAEU and #ASEAN, and more globally, to cooperate with the #BRICS countries.

Our colleagues from Central Asia are interested in promoting cooperation on information security and the fight against organised crime and drug trafficking in the SCO space. We think it is important to establish relevant divisions and let them be coordinated by the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure.

There is an understanding that the role of national currencies in settlements between SCO members should be increased. Practices currently taking shape within the Eurasian Development Bank, the Asian Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the BRICS New Development Bank could be used for this purpose.

#Afghanistan

Today, we came to terms on reaffirming the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group. This group exists, although it has been some time since it met. One of the reasons is the Taliban’s status. Thus far, it is not recognised “de jure.” We are expecting the Taliban leaders to fulfill their promises on forming an inclusive government not only in terms of ethnic groups but also by ensuring the presence of the entire spectrum of Afghanistan’s political forces. This has yet to be done.

There is convincing evidence to the effect that the US supports the terrorist groups entrenched in the territory of Afghanistan that are opposed to the Taliban, including the Islamic State, the Islamic Movement of East Turkestan, and Al-Qaeda. The Americans have not abandoned their attempts to reintroduce US military infrastructure in the region surrounding Afghanistan, in Central Asia.

Everyone is well aware of the serious threat inherent in these attempts. We will resolutely oppose them.

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🎙 Statement by the Head of Delegation of the Russian Federation, G20 Sous-Sherpa Marat Berdyev at the G20 Development Ministers Meeting, session 1 «Multilateralism - Collective Actions for Accelerating Progress towards SDGs»

📍 Varanasi, June 12

Key talking points:

💬 We appreciate the Indian Presidency for its tremendous efforts to move forward the issue of development with a holistic approach that provides for synergies amongst development, growth, climate and environment.

• The unwillingness of the Western countries to discuss mutual security guarantees, economic wars they had unleashed amidst attempts to shift primary responsibility for the degradation of international relations to other states, including Russia is quite worrisome. It reveals strong intention by the West to resist a multipolar world and the primacy of the UN Charter, trying to replace them with their own unilateral rules.

• We are concerned by cases of weaponization of economy by the West, in particular in areas of food and energy security through price ceilings, misuse of value chains, seizure of foreign assets, like Russian fertilizers capturing by the EU. The new wave of large-scale threats emerges from terrorist attacks/war crimes of Kiev regime and its accomplices against critical civil infrastructure.

🇷🇺 Russia supports developing countries as a donor at an amount of about 1,4 bln USD per year and serves as a major supplier of food, fertilizers and energy. We will be hosting 2nd #RussiaAfrica Summit on July 26-29 in Saint-Petersburg to foster our cooperation and look forward for the African Union membership at the #G20. Our country also endeavors to implement the Greater Eurasian Partnership underpinned by closer relationships between Eurasian Economic Union, Shanghai Cooperation Organization and #ASEAN.

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🛡 #OTD 22 years ago, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (#SCO) was founded - a multilateral association aimed at ensuring peace, security and stability and jointly countering new security challenges and threats to member states.

Today, the SCO is made up of eight countries: its founding members – Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan – as well as India and Pakistan, which joined in 2017. Iran is also expected to become a full SCO member at the upcoming summit (July 3-4, New Delhi).

In June 2002, the organisation's member states signed the Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation that cemented the SCO's focus on the positive promotion of multidimensional cooperation and its non-targeting of third countries and organisations. Today the SCO continues to firmly rule out bloc, ideological and confrontational approaches to solving international and regional development problems.

🤝 One of the most important areas of SCO activity is joint efforts to combat terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking and transnational organised crime. The SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure operates in Tashkent on a permanent basis to ensure effective cooperation between the competent authorities of the member states in these areas.

🌐 The SCO's legal framework for relations with the United Nations and its agencies continues to expand. Partnerships have been established with the #CIS, #CSTO, #EEC, #ASEAN and a number of other multilateral associations that share similar principles of constructive development.

🎙 Statement by the Head of Delegation of the Russian Federation, G20 Sous-Sherpa Marat Berdyev at the G20 Development Ministers Meeting, session 1 «Multilateralism - Collective Actions for Accelerating Progress towards SDGs»

📍 Varanasi, June 12

Key talking points:

💬 We appreciate the Indian Presidency for its tremendous efforts to move forward the issue of development with a holistic approach that provides for synergies amongst development, growth, climate and environment.

• The unwillingness of the Western countries to discuss mutual security guarantees, economic wars they had unleashed amidst attempts to shift primary responsibility for the degradation of international relations to other states, including Russia is quite worrisome. It reveals strong intention by the West to resist a multipolar world and the primacy of the UN Charter, trying to replace them with their own unilateral rules.

• We are concerned by cases of weaponization of economy by the West, in particular in areas of food and energy security through price ceilings, misuse of value chains, seizure of foreign assets, like Russian fertilizers capturing by the EU. The new wave of large-scale threats emerges from terrorist attacks/war crimes of Kiev regime and its accomplices against critical civil infrastructure.

🇷🇺 Russia supports developing countries as a donor at an amount of about 1,4 bln USD per year and serves as a major supplier of food, fertilizers and energy. We will be hosting 2nd #RussiaAfrica Summit on July 26-29 in Saint-Petersburg to foster our cooperation and look forward for the African Union membership at the #G20. Our country also endeavors to implement the Greater Eurasian Partnership underpinned by closer relationships between Eurasian Economic Union, Shanghai Cooperation Organization and #ASEAN.

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🇷🇺 🇮🇳 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Minister of External Affairs of India Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar hold talks on the sidelines of the #ASEAN events, Russian MFA said.

📷 Jakarta, July 13, 2023

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🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s statement and answers to media questions following the Russia-ASEAN Conference

📍 Jakarta, July 13, 2023

#RussiaASEAN meeting

💬 We have held the annual Ministerial Meeting between Russia and ASEAN Member Countries once again. The meeting involved the Secretary-General of this organisation. We prioritised such aspects as high technologies, digitalisation and smart cities. We had a separate discussion of our collaboration on countering new challenges and threats. Cooperation between #ASEAN and the Eurasian Economic Union (#EAEU) is another issue.

We are expecting ASEAN representatives at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok in September 2023. We have drafted specific plans aiming to expand practical cooperation in various fields and in the interests of all participants.

On #NATO policy in the Asia-Pacific region

💬 It is true that the ASEAN approaches are now going through a serious test because of the desire of the US and its allies to replace the ASEAN-centric security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region, which took shape over decades and suited everyone until recently, with their “Indo-Pacific strategies” and NATO expansion in this region.

Japan and South Korea already told that they are willing to deploy American nuclear weapons on their territory or to acquire their own. This is a seriously dangerous trend.

#JCPOA

💬 I am not very optimistic about the prospects of resuming the JCPOA. Another point is that, along with this stalled and withered process, the Iranians and the Americans are engaged in unofficial and direct contact below the radar on normalising their relations by unblocking Iran’s seized foreign reserves in exchange for deciding the fate of certain US citizens who were charged with breaking the law in Iran.

We will only welcome any improvement in these relations. Once again, this has little to do with the JCPOA.

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🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s statement and answers to media questions following the 21th Doha Forum, 10 December 2023

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💬 The domination of the “collective West” was based on diverse history including ruthless exploitation of peoples and territories of other countries.

On the basis of this five hundred years, the US & its allies built the model of globalization, which they believed would serve THEM well to continue to be number one in economy, in military exercises, in culture, politics, and so on and so forth. And they thought that they would be using this globalization scheme to continue their domination.

However, other countries, using exactly the principles and instruments of the western globalization, managed to beat the West on its own turf, building economies on the basis of national sovereignty, on the basis of balance of interests with other countries.

<...>

We see this process very much underway, which is clearly changing the balance of power in the world, and not to the West liking.

This is especially seen in various conflicts which the West ignites all over the world. Everything goes to keep the hegemony.

<...>

❓ The analysis of all these events raises a question: is there a single place where the US intervened with military force, where life has become better?

I think you know the answer 👉 Ruined statehood, human tragedies, and bleak prospects for the future of the countries where the Americans & NATO interfered.

<...>

We have to accept the existence of new organizations, new formats, new structures like #BRICS, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, #ASEAN, #AfricanUnion, and many subregional organizations in Africa, CELAC and subregional groups in Latin America. They are going to be the bricks of the new polycentric world. This must be recognized as an objective course of history and this must be respected. This is something which we actually miss when we analyse the modern Western diplomacy. But this is for the West to draw conclusions.

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov answers questions from the NTV Itogi Nedeli aka the Outcomes of the Week programme (December 24, 2023)

❓ Here is a philosophical question: Yesterday, you spoke about justice, a just solution to the crisis, a just multipolar world order, etc. Now the Global South is closely watching us. What kind of justice can we offer them? How do we make it clear to them?

💬 I think that any normal person, including politicians, immediately understands what injustice is when they see it. It is clear to them when issues are resolved fairly, based on a balance of interests and the key principle of the UN Charter, which emphasises the need to respect the sovereign equality of all states, big and small.

since the creation of the UN, the West, especially the US, has failed to comply with this key principle of sovereign equality. <...>

In this context, justice means equal rights for all states and entities established in different regions. This includes the Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the African Union, #CELAC, as well as numerous subregional institutions in Africa and Latin America. In Eurasia, we have the #EAEU, the #SCO and #ASEAN. These organisations have established close contacts, including through the Belt and Road project. <...>

❓ Why didn't you mention BRICS?

💬 I didn't mention BRICS because it is self-evident. I listed the organisations that are emerging at the regional level. #BRICS is not an organisation but an association. I don't think there is any interest in turning it into a formal organisation with a secretariat, at least not at this stage <...>

BRICS is a symbol. It represents the shared desire of a majority of countries in the world to develop their initiatives together, taking into account each other's interests on an equal basis. It serves as a future umbrella for all subregional and regional processes. <...> This is the future.

☝️ In the West, there are no organisations that have fair rules in terms of equality and genuine consensus.

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🎙 FM Sergey Lavrov’s statement and answers to questions following the G20 Ministerial Meeting

📍 Rio de Janeiro, February 22, 2024

• Some of our Western colleagues’ attempts during the #G20 Ministerial Meetings to divert the discussion from this key issue to the topic of supporting the Kiev regime, focusing on groundless accusations against Russia and Ukrainising the agenda are not supported by developing countries and most of the Global South countries.

🌐 Our remarks also focused on the fact that, apart from the Bretton Woods institutions, the IMF, the World Bank, and the WTO, there are also new centres and unions of the Global Majority developing in different regions of the world. In the Eurasian space, these are the #SCO, #ASEAN, and #EAEU.

🇺🇳 Today, six members of the UNSC out of 15 are allies of the US, with nearly all of them doing Washington’s bidding. When we address the problem of expanding the UNSC in practical terms, we will support solely representatives of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said they should not by any means divide the world into isolated blocs which seems like a sound idea, but immediately, without missing a beat, he went on to say that they will, of course, cooperate primarily with democracies. To use his words, there are different “blocs.” The best part, though, is him saying that all countries have a choice, “If you are not at the table in the international system, you’re going to be on the menu.” That’s the kind of approach the top US diplomat has towards those who disagree with them.

• Many of our colleagues from the Global Majority share with us in confidence how the Americans demand that they join their sanctions against Russia and what threats they use. That prompts an interesting conclusion about US diplomacy and what it now amounts to.

🌎 Latin America is one of our major partners. Our trade is growing substantially and investment activities are also gaining momentum.

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💬 Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria #Zakharova: Russia’s strategic partnership with #ASEAN is on the rise:

✅ Expert consultations on digitisation have launched;

✅ Work of joint anti-terrorism bodies is intensifying;

✅ Cultural and educational events are being held.

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks at an extended meeting with the participation of the Foreign Ministers from the Global South and the Global East (June 11, 2024, Nizhny Novgorod)

💬 Welcome to Russia and Nizhny Novgorod, a beautiful city, the beauty of which and the feelings of the residents of which you had the chance to enjoy yesterday.

Today’s meeting reflects the efforts of #BRICS members to develop ties with the stakeholder countries from the Global South and the Global East, the countries of the Global Majority,

in order to identify solutions to the most pressing global issues faced by all members of the international community without exception.

We are witnessing a profound transformation of international relations triggered by the formation of a fairer and polycentric system of international order, which would reflect the entire gamut of cultural and civilisational diversity of the modern-day world and ensure the right of every nation to determine its own future and its own path of development.

The stronger voice of the Global Majority, i.e. the countries of Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean, which are not part of the collective West, is a major trend now.

Only by uniting our ranks can we truly effectively promote a vision of a just future shared by all of us. In this context, it is important to strengthen the role of the country-to-country groups that advocate balanced and equitable approaches to international development.

We are talking about the formats which reflect the principles of equitable cooperation in practice rather than in words. These include, along with BRICS, #SCO, #AfricanUnion, #EAEU, #CIS, #ASEAN, #LAS, #CELAC, #GCC, #IORA and many other organisations. The chairs of many of these organisations are here with us.

We believe it is important to establish contacts between all such integration entities which operate at regional levels, on the one hand, and our global association BRICS, on the other hand. This will promote gradual and mutually respectful harmonisation of approaches to the issues facing all associations.

The strengthening the international legal framework and collective decision-making on global issues is now at the forefront. Only in this case will those decisions be effective and legitimate.

This principle is laid down in the UN Charter. Unfortunately, the collective West’s decisions, especially in the economy, finance, trade and more, increasingly fail to comply with the fundamental principles of the UN Charter.

Our countries have largely overlapping approaches to reforming the system of multilateral institutions, including the UN and the UN Security Council, as well as addressing the post-pandemic recovery of the global economy and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals approved by the UN General Assembly.

🤝 We look forward to discussing all these issues today.

🇷🇺🇮🇳 Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Foreign Minister of India Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met on the sidelines of #ASEAN events

📍 Vientiane, July 26, 2024

#RussiaIndia #DruzhbaDosti