Sochi Summit Good Platfrom To Further Enhance Russia-ASEAN Ties - Envoy

By Azzah Mohamad Som KUALA LUMPUR, May 18 (Bernama) -- The upcoming ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit will serve as a good platform to further enhance ties in cultural, humanitarian and security issues, as well as tackling the terrorism threat, says Russian Ambassdor to Malaysia, Valery N. Yermolov. "Thanks to this summit, we can enlarge our relations in all these spheres," he told Bernama in an interview ahead of the two-day summit to be held in Sochi, Russia, beginning Thursday. He also pointed out that Russia had declared this year as ASEAN-Russia Year of Culture and as such, it especially, looked forward to strengthening ties in this area. "During the summit, we also hope for a meeting between Russian and ASEAN culture ministers to discuss and further improve cultural exchange programmes," said Yermolov. He hoped Malaysian Tourism and Culture Minister, Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz could attend the meeting and engage in discussions with Russia's Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky on enhancing cultural ties. In this regard, the ambassador suggested cultural events such as Russian artistes' performance in Malaysia and Malaysians entertaining Russians in Russia be organised, apart from holding exhibitions in the respective countries. "I know there are many people in Malaysia who are interested in Russian culture and arts, and a lot of Russians who would like to know more about Malaysia," he noted. Touching on the summit's preparations, he said Russian President Vladimir Putin had sent invitations to leaders of ASEAN Member States last October. Describing the Sochi summit as a significant event, Yermolov said it was also held to commemorate the 20th anniversary of ASEAN-Russia dialoge relations, and for the first time the summit was held on Russian territory. Two previous summits were held in Kuala Lumpur (2005) and Vietnam's capital Hanoi (2010) in conjunction with ASEAN events or meetings in the countries, he said. Russia was elevated to ASEAN's full Dialogue Partner at the 29th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) in July, 1996 in Jakarta. Describing Sochi, Yermolov said it was a famous resort city where big international events like the 2014 Winter Olympics were held. "In Sochi, there is a summer residence of the Russian president who often visits the resort city, where he meets with leaders of many countries. So, we hope the leaders of ASEAN member countries will enjoy their stay in Sochi," he added. He said all ASEAN leaders were expected to attend the summit except the Philippine president who would be represented by an official from its foreign ministry. Russian media reported the summit would become this year's biggest international event in the country. Wisma Putra (Malaysia's Foreign Ministry) reported that during the summit, the leaders were expected to adopt the Sochi Declaration entitled, 'Moving towards a Strategic Partnership for Mutual Benefit.' In a statement, it said Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who will lead a delegation to the summit was scheduled to meet Putin to discuss issues of mutual concern. Representatives from Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam will attend the summit. --BERNAMA