ASEAN-Russia Summit to sum up 20 years of cooperation
13 May 2016
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ASEAN – Russia Summit to sum up 20 years of cooperation

The theme of the ASEAN — Russia Summit, due to take place on 19-20 May in Sochi, is ‘ASEAN — Russia: On the way to mutually beneficial strategic partnership', Russian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Maria Zakharova said during her 12 May briefing.

She recalled that the year 2016 marks 20 years since the launch of ASEAN —Russia Dialogue Partnership and the Sochi Summit will sum up the results over this period.

A number of momentous events will be held during the Summit, Ms Zakharova said, including the ASEAN — Russia Business Forum, which will aim to broaden contacts between businesses and seek promising bilateral projects in trade, the economy and investment.

She also said that at this stage work is underway to make cooperation in rapid responses to emergency situations comprehensive, also noting that new cooperation mechanisms in renewable energy, agriculture and education have already been launched. Agreements have also been reached on improving the quality of tourism service and on ensuring the security of tourists.

Various agencies and expert bodies of ASEAN member states and Russia have held a number of joint events in preparation for the Commemorative Summit, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

"The ASEAN — Russia Eminent Persons Group, which includes leading diplomats and academics, was formed for the Summit. It has prepared a report on their strategic vision of the future of our bilateral relationship, and will present it at the Summit," Maria Zakharova added.