RUSSIA–ASEAN SUMMIT: Approaching Its First Anniversary

The first Russia–ASEAN Summit held in Kuala Lumpur in December 2005 adopted, along with a joint Political Declaration, a Comprehensive Programme of Action to Promote Cooperation in political, economic, cultural and other areas of Russia–ASEAN inter-relationship. These two major documents set a framework of Russia–ASEAN relationship for the period 2005–15. It would be, of course, premature to try to make a final judgement on the progress of this programme less than a year after the summit. But on the other hand, it would be only expedient to offer analytical comments regarding the general atmosphere that prevailed in the relations over this period as well as to single out dominating tendencies in these relations.

For a start, I would suggest that relations, especially political ones, between Russia and individual ASEAN countries, as well as ASEAN as a group, developed during this time in the spirit of cooperation and mutal respect and did not suffer any setbacks of any kind. Both parties continued a constructive dialogue on a wide range of issues of mutual interest, both of international and of bilateral significance. Although there has not been any major breakthrough achieved in this relationship so far, both sides undoubtedly continued painstakingly to build up the basis needed for a noticeable progress or even for a breakthrough in these relations in the future.

I would also maintain that this positive though unspectacular development is not a minor matter in our relationship that may be overlooked or disregarded while characterizing their record over the last year. It is particularly important if analysed against the background of a rather unstable global situation full of numerous deep contradictions and conflicts, ranging from the unending confrontation between the Western and Islamic worlds, to the continuing threats to global and regional peace and stability from the forces of international terrorism, religious extremism and separatism and to the economic upheavals because of instability of international raw materials and energy prices.