Document on Russia-ASEAN cooperation in disaster relief may be adopted soon - Russian deputy foreign minister

MOSCOW, May 13. /TASS/. The Russian Foreign Ministry hopes to sign a document on cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the sphere of preventing emergencies and providing disaster relief, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov told TASS on Friday. ‘We hope to make cooperation in this sphere systematic by adopting a relevant agreement," Morgulov said. "The draft document prepared by the Russian Emergencies Ministry is undergoing expert coordination with ASEAN. I hope it will be signed very soon," he added. The deputy foreign minister noted that cooperation between Russia and ASEAN is actively developing in the sphere of countering new threats and challenges. "We have established dialogue mechanisms on these issues from scratch over the last years - Council of senior officials on transnational crime and Joint working group. Educational courses and internships for ASEAN specialists have become regular as well," he explained. The diplomat noted that the landmark development in this sphere was when Russian Interior Ministry received beacme a dialogue partner of ASEAN National Police (ASEANAPOL). Russia-ASEAN summit The Russia-ASEAN summit will be held in Sochi on May 19-20 and will become the biggest international event in Russia in 2016. The summit will be held under the slogan "Towards Strategic Partnership for the Sake of the Common Good." The summit is expected to adopt a declaration that will lay the basis for an action plan of Russia-ASEAN cooperation in the political, economic and cultural spheres, as well as in the sphere of security. Russia has been a dialog partner of ASEAN since July 1996. Similar partnership summits are normally held on the territory of member-states and the choice of Sochi as venue for the Russia-ASEAN summit on the partnership’s 20th anniversary is symbolic. Read more