Russia is looking forward to exploring new areas of cooperation with Southeast Asia during Malaysia's upcoming presidency of ASEAN, the regional association of Southeast Asian nations. This intent was expressed by Russian President Vladimir Putin as he commenced talks with Malaysia's Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim.
“We place great importance on developing our relations with Southeast Asia,” Putin remarked. “As far as I know, Malaysia will chair ASEAN next year,” he continued, adding, “We are hopeful that during your presidency, we will be able to identify new areas of cooperation with this fast-growing and promising region.”
Putin also highlighted the upcoming plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), which coincided with the timing of the meeting. “I am confident that it will be a productive event that will contribute to the further integration of the region's economies,” he said. “I strongly believe that through this work, we will uncover new opportunities to expand our cooperation,” the Russian president concluded.
Before the talks began, Putin and Ibrahim introduced the members of their respective delegations. Putin personally introduced each member of the Russian government present to his Malaysian counterpart. The Russian delegation included Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Science and Higher Education Minister Valery Falkov, Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov, Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov, and Deputy Heads of the Presidential Administration Maxim Oreshkin and Dmitry Peskov.
Peskov noted that while relations between Russia and Malaysia hold significant potential, they have not yet been fully realized. According to the Malaysian Foreign Ministry ahead of the visit, Kuala Lumpur intended to discuss cooperation in tourism and astronautics with Moscow, and to express interest in joining BRICS.
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Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS