United News of Bangladesh

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday hosted leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in a bid to strengthen economic and political ties with the regional bloc. The two-day meeting is taking place in Kazan and is focused on expanding Russia’s “strategic partnership” with ASEAN members, which include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, East Timor and Vietnam, according to Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov. Ushakov said ASEAN has long maintained relations with Russia as a “dialogue partner” and has engaged in annual high-level meetings. This year’s summit marks 35 years of Russia-ASEAN relations. In a message to a business forum held alongside the summit, Putin said the gathering would help create “new opportunities” for expanding trade, investment and industrial cooperation, while also deepening business-to-business contacts. The Kremlin aide said discussions would also cover global and regional issues, as well as efforts to further develop Russia-ASEAN relations. He added that participants were expected to reaffirm support for a “just and democratic multipolar world order” based on international law and the UN Charter. Ushakov described Russia-ASEAN engagement as “fruitful, equal and constructive.” Putin is also holding bilateral meetings with several leaders attending the summit, which he is co-chairing with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whose country currently holds the rotating ASEAN chairmanship. During a meeting with Marcos, Putin said bilateral cooperation between the two countries was based on “good traditions, mutual respect and consideration of each other’s legitimate interests.” Marcos, in turn, thanked Putin for hosting the summit in Kazan and invited him to the ASEAN summit in Manila in November. Putin also met Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on the sidelines of the event. Speaking at a reception for delegation heads, Putin said Russia and ASEAN countries jointly support a “fair world order” based on sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs. “All our states follow their own models of development and don’t impose their views on anyone. And this is, indeed, our strength,” he said, adding that Russia was ready to deepen cooperation for the “security, well-being and prosperity” of the region. Separately, Putin held talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who had also met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov a day earlier in Moscow. Putin described Russia-Turkey relations as steadily developing and “truly friendly.” ASEAN members maintain diverse global alignments, with some closer to the United States and others heavily engaged with China and Russia. Several countries in the bloc, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, have imported Russian crude oil or shown interest in doing so amid global energy price volatility linked to the war in Iran.