Putin to meet ASEAN leaders in June

ASEAN leaders agreed to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kazan next month to commemorate the 30th anniversary of their dialogue relations, according to an informed source.

The source said that at the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, the leaders agreed to Putin’s request for the commemorative summit, which will be held around mid-June.

The decision indicated the bloc’s recognition of the current geopolitical landscape and the impacts of economic shocks caused by the US-Iran war.

One of the key issues discussed at the Cebu summit was energy security, which would require collective and intensified cooperation among ASEAN members to address disruptions stemming from the Middle East conflict.

Commemorative summits have previously been held with major dialogue partners such as the United States, China, Japan and South Korea in their respective capitals. However, such summits require early consensus and extensive advance planning.

Putin attended the East Asia Summit in Singapore in 2008, when Russia was elevated to the status of a strategic dialogue partner.

Moscow has already informed ASEAN of its desire to further elevate ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, similar to ASEAN’s partnerships with the United States, China, India, Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand.

Last year, two-way trade between Russia and ASEAN amounted to US$18.1 billion. Russia remains one of the largest arms exporters to the region, while also exporting minerals, oil, fertilisers and steel products.