Russia Foreign Affairs Minister to Attend ASEAN Meeting in Indonesia

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov is set to visit Jakarta on Juli 13-14, to attend an ASEAN meeting, an East Asia Summit, and a regional security forum. 

“The visit is objected to promoting Russia’s interest in the Asia-Pacific region,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Maria Zakharova in a media briefing in Moscow as virtually observed by Tempo on Thursday, July 6, 2023. Russia is not a member of ASEAN but is included as one of its Speech Partners.

The ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting invites not only its state members but also its partners, such as Russia and USA. Following a meeting in Labuan Bajo last May, ASEAN will also hold an ASEAN Summit in September 2023. 

ASEAN and Russia have committed to strengthening their diplomatic relations in the 19th ASEAN-Russia Leaders Meeting (ARSOM), which was held at Siem Reap, Cambodia on April 29, 2023. Moscow expressed their commitment to a broader centrality of ASEAN in Asia-Pacific. Russia has the world’s attention for its current year-long invasion of Ukraine since February 2022.

Trade value between ASEAN and Russia reached US$20 billion in 2021. Meanwhile, ASEAN export to Russia dominated the trade sector, reaching US$12.6 billion. The major commodities for ASEAN’s export are electrical machinery and tools which reached US$3.4 billion, animal and plant oils and fats which reached US$1.4 billion, mechanical machinery and tools which reached US$1.3 billion, and lastly rubber exports which reached US$676 million.

DANIEL A. FAJRI / NAJLA (Translator)