Representatives of 17 countries took part in the Russia—ASEAN Business Forum

The Russia—ASEAN Business Forum was held in Kazan on the sidelines of the Russia—ASEAN Summit. The event is timed to coincide with the double anniversary of cooperation between Russia and ASEAN: the 35th anniversary of relations and the 30th anniversary of a full-scale dialogue partnership. The main topic of the Business Forum is "Russia — ASEAN: Partnership without Borders". ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Horn, Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim, Chairman of the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Le Minh Hung, Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Maxim Reshetnikov, Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan Alexey Pesoshin and Chairman of the Russia-ASEAN Business Council Ivan Polyakov participated in the Forum.. The Roscongress Foundation organized the Business Forum.

The Business Forum opened with a greeting from the President of the Russian Federation to the guests and participants, in which Vladimir Putin noted that the Forum, which brought together leading representatives of the business communities of our country and the ASEAN member states in Kazan, was of particular importance. "Russian-Asean relations turn 35 years old this year. During this time, we have accumulated solid experience in multifaceted cooperation, established stable ties, including between the Business Advisory Council of the Association and the Russia—ASEAN Business Council, and created a good foundation for the future," the Head of State emphasized in his greeting.

The Forum's program was built around four key areas: traditional spiritual and moral values and models of state-religious relations in Russia and the ASEAN countries; development of cooperation in the field of information technology and AI; international trade, ensuring food security and transport and logistics connectivity between Russia and the ASEAN countries, as well as cooperation between the EAEU and ASEAN in the fields of energy, infrastructure, and industrial cooperation.

"Representatives from 17 countries took part in the Business Forum program. The participation of the Prime Ministers of Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam in the Forum program demonstrates the serious interest of our geopolitical allies in expanding and strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation in the trade and economic sphere. The Business Forum has formed the foundation of a major and influential international discussion platform for substantive and professional discussion of the main areas of development of trade, economic and investment cooperation between Russia and the ASEAN countries, as well as cooperation within the framework of the EAEU-ASEAN partnership," said Anton, Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation, Executive Secretary of the Organizing Committee for the preparation and holding of the Russia—ASEAN Summit Kobyakov.

A number of documents were signed at the Business Forum, including: a Memorandum of Understanding between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vietnam and the Union Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tatarstan, an agreement on strategic cooperation and technological cooperation between the companies Centringineering LLC (Russia) and Metalco Aviation Technology Ltd. And an agreement on strategic cooperation and technological cooperation between the companies Centringining LLC (Russia) and WUXI Heyi Power System CO., LTD.

According to Maxim Reshetnikov, Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, economic relations between Russia and the countries of Southeast Asia are showing steady growth, despite the difficult geopolitical situation and the crisis of the multilateral trading system. The trade turnover has increased by 58% over the past 10 years, reaching $21 billion. "We see the ASEAN countries not just as partners, but as reliable allies in creating a stable future. Therefore, I urge businesses on both sides to undertake ambitious, long-term projects so that national economies develop and people in our countries see changes for the better. This is the main meaning of the partnership," concluded the head of the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia.

Sergey Katyrin, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, summed up the results of the Business Forum. "We consider it extremely important to hold a Business forum with the participation of government officials, leading companies and business associations of Russia and the ASEAN countries in order to identify additional reserves and systemic barriers to cooperation, overcoming which will help businesses reach new frontiers of cooperation and realize the full potential of trade and economic relations between the countries," he stressed.

Relations between Russia and ASEAN mark their 35th anniversary this year. The Association unites 11 Southeast Asian states with a combined population of over 680 million people. According to international organizations, the combined GDP of the ASEAN countries exceeds 4 trillion US dollars, which makes the association one of the largest economies in the world. The development of cooperation with the member states of the Association remains one of the key areas of Russian cooperation with the fast-growing Asian markets.

ASEAN consists of Brunei, East Timor, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Thailand and the Philippines. The previous summit of Russia and the Association was held in 2021 in the format of a videoconference. The first meeting took place in 2005. The parties established a dialogue relationship in 1996. In 2018, Russia and ASEAN became strategic partners.