U.S. tariffs, new trade ties to be subject of discussion at ASEAN summit - Russian deputy PM
KUALA LUMPUT. Oct 27 (Interfax) - Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk has arrived in Malaysia as the head of the Russian delegation to take part in the events of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The participation in the 20th East Asia Summit (EAS) comprising the Southeast Asia states and the ASEAN dialogue partners, namely, Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea, and the United States, as well as a number of bilateral meetings, is planned as part of the visit, Overchuk told reporters on Sunday.
"Our meeting with the prime minister of Malaysia, the prime minister of Vietnam, the prime minister of Cambodia is planned. We are also participating in the summit," Overchuk said.
"Of course, today, everyone is interested in issues dealing with the tariffs imposed by the U.S. As it is known, these tariffs have a serious influence on the ASEAN member states' economies, which have been one of the most important beneficiaries of the globalization process for a long time. Supply chains are now being reformatted, including attempts to establish new chains bypassing the People's Republic of China are being made," Overchuk said.
In the new circumstances, the Southeast Asia countries are trying to "establish new integration ties and develop its system of agreements on free trade zones," he said.
"And here we have many overlapping interests. ASEAN is essentially an integration platform. We also have our own integration platform in the north of Eurasia in the form of the Eurasian Economic Union and the Commonwealth of Independent States. And, indeed, we see the aspiration to integrate," Overchuk said, adding that Russia, for its part, is promoting the idea of creating the greater Eurasian partnership.
Commenting on his upcoming meetings with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Overchuk emphasized the mutual interest in cooperation with these countries.
"Naturally, we will talk about the development of trade. We are engaged in a big meaningful dialogue on all tracks with Vietnam. Just this January, the chairman of the government of the Russian Federation paid a visit to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and our contacts here are very close. As for Cambodia, it is also showing a great interest in the development of cooperation with Russia," he said.
ASEAN is an intergovernmental organization created by Southeast Asia countries to promote cooperation in economic, social and cultural sectors and strengthen peace and stability in the region in 1967. Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines joined ASEAN at the first stage, and Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam joined them later.
Russia was granted the ASEAN partner status as part of the regional dialogue in July 1996. In 2004, Russia joined the fundamental dialogue regulating relations of ASEAN and its dialogue partners, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.
