Russia-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting

Photo: MFA

Press release on the Russia-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting.

On July 22, an annual meeting of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov with the foreign ministers of member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was held in Manila.

The event was held under the auspices of the 35th anniversary of Russia-ASEAN relations marked this year. It focused on the implementation of decisions adopted at the 5th Russia-ASEAN summit (Kazan, June 17˗18, 2026) on building up cooperation in food and energy security, digital transformation, science-intensive and innovative technologies, space exploration, and youth contacts. The sides also discussed launching cooperation in new spheres.

The discussions held at the meeting have shown that Russia and ASEAN have similar views on current international issues. The Russian side reaffirmed its commitment to ASEAN’s central role in regional affairs, and congratulated its partners on the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, the fundamental document regulating interstate relations in the region.

The meeting was held in a traditionally friendly atmosphere.

Photo: MFA

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks at the Russia-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting.

Manila, July 22, 2026

Mr Chairperson,

Colleagues,

Before I begin, I would like to extend our deep condolences to the people of Thailand, the families and friends of the victims of the recent deadly fire in Bangkok, and to wish all the injured a speedy recovery.

Colleagues,

I am glad to see you again.

First of all, I would like to express our gratitude to the Philippines’ ASEAN chairmanship  for the warm welcome and excellent organisation of our meeting, which is being held in the year of the 35th anniversary of Russia-ASEAN relations.

We are also grateful to Myanmar as the coordinator of the Russia-ASEAN dialogue for its contribution to promoting our strategic partnership in this format. Next year, Vietnam will take over the functions of coordinator of the Russia-ASEAN relationship, and there is no doubt whatsoever that the steady development of Russia-ASEAN relations will continue.

During an excellent party held last night and before our meeting this morning, many of our ASEAN colleagues and friends recalled the Russia-ASEAN Summit that was held in Kazan approximately a month ago. They said that they highly appreciate that summit meeting, which clearly demonstrated the mutual striving of Russia and ASEAN for the further rapprochement and strengthening of multifaceted cooperation based on the principles of equality, mutual respect and  mutual benefit.

The leaders of our countries reached important agreements on political and security issues, struggle against new threats and challenges, and the development of trade, economic, investment, cultural, educational and humanitarian ties. We see good prospects for cooperation in the fields of food and energy security, digital transformation, and the platform economy. The four fundamental documents adopted in Kazan have set clear guidelines for cooperation in these spheres.

Russia firmly believes that ASEAN is a reliable partner and ally. For our part, we are committed to supporting ASEAN’s central role in all regional affairs and are contributing  to the strengthening of the ASEAN-centric system of interstate relations based on the principles of international law, openness, equality and, which I would like to emphasise, respect for the interests of all parties. A major factor in our joint efforts will be a common understanding of international processes, which has been reaffirmed in Kazan, and the commitment our leaders expressed to shaping a more just and sustainable multipolar world order, reinforcing the balanced security architecture in the Aria-Pacific Region, as well as to strengthening comprehensive interaction on our vast Eurasian continent.

I hope that our meeting today will help strengthen our interaction in all the aforementioned spheres, and give a fresh impetus to the implementation of the agreements reached at the Kazan summit and to the unlocking of the large-scale potential of cooperation between Russia and ASEAN.

Thank you.

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