Russia looking forward to seeing Marcos, ASEAN leaders in Kazan - Russian foreign minister

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected to take part in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Russia Summit in Kazan on June 17 and 18, Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

Lavrov made the announcement in an article posted on Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs website on June 5, Friday.

He said the ASEAN-Russia Summit will be the centerpiece of the commemorative events dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the establishment of relations between Russia and the regional bloc.

“We look forward to welcoming in Kazan the heads of all ASEAN member states, especially the President of the Philippines Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr.,” the Russian Foreign Affairs Minister said.

Marcos is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin during the ASEAN-Russia Summit in Kazan.

Malacañang has yet to confirm if the President will attend the said summit.

The Philippines and Russia recently marked their 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations which were established on June 2, 1976.

“We are optimistic about the future and ready for new joint initiatives for the benefit of our citizens and in the interests of peace and prosperity,” Lavrov said.

He noted that both nations “take an active part in the work of joint mechanisms, including the Foreign Minister’s Meeting and Economic Ministers’ Meeting, Consultations of High Representatives for Security Issues, Dialogue on ICT Security-Related Issues and others.”

“I am pleased to note that our Filipino partners readily participate in our socio-cultural initiatives. In April last year, Filipino diplomats won nearly all awards at an online chess tournament among foreign ministries, the first in the history of Russia-ASEAN relations,” he added.

Lavrov said the ASEAN-Russia Summit “will allow us to consolidate the achievements of three and a half decades of cooperation between Russia and the ASEAN.”

The summit will also enable them to outline an agenda for future mutually beneficial cooperation in trade, investments, energy, agriculture, digitalization, science, technology and innovation, education, tourism, cultural and humanitarian ties.

“Together with our friends from Southeast Asia, we will strive to identify new promising directions for our joint endeavours,” he added. — JMA, GMA News