Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Malaysia on Tuesday to take part in a series of high-level meetings with Southeast Asian leaders under the ASEAN framework. His plane touched down in Kuala Lumpur, where the talks are being held.
Lavrov is scheduled to join discussions in three formats: the Russia–ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting, the East Asia Summit ministerial, and the ASEAN Regional Forum on security issues. His visit is set to continue through July 11.
According to Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Lavrov will also hold a number of bilateral talks with his Asian counterparts on the sidelines of the main sessions.
Zakharova said the meetings are expected to feature candid and at times difficult exchanges on the world’s key geopolitical challenges. She noted that Moscow intends to draw attention to the growing risks of militarization in the Asia-Pacific and attempts by NATO countries to expand their military presence in the region. Russia also plans to highlight the need to combat cybercrime and the misuse of information technology, she added.
ASEAN — the Association of Southeast Asian Nations — was founded in 1967 and brings together Brunei, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines. Malaysia assumed the group’s rotating chairmanship this year, a role it will hold through 2025.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on TASS materials