Saturday, October 30, 2010

Russia-ASEAN summit adopts joint statement


Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev (6th L) holds hands with (L-R) Malaysia's deputy Foreign Minister Richard Riot Jaem, Myanmar's Prime Minister Thein Sein, the Philippine's President Benigno Aquino, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, Laos' Prime Minister Bouasone Buphavanh and ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsawan as they pose for a group photo before the ASEAN-Russia summit at the sidelines of the 17th ASEAN Summit of the in Hanoi October 30, 2010. (Getty Images / REUTERS / Hoang Dinh Nam/Pool )

HANOI, October 30 (KATAKAMI / Itar-Tass) -- The leaders attending the Russia-ASEAN forum have adopted a joint statement, in which they recorded common approaches to problems of security and economic development in the Asia-Pacific Region, as well as to the deepening of dialogue partnership. President Dmitry Medvedev took part in the summit.

“Russia and ASEAN will closely cooperate in the creation of regional architecture in the Asia-Pacific Region,” the statement said. “ASEAN welcomes Russia’s contribution to the Financial Fund of Dialogue Partnership, created at the first Russia-ASEAN summit, of annual donations for financing joint projects.”
“ASEAN expresses full support for the Russian-American START Treaty. With this in view we reiterate our allegiance to nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament,” the leaders stressed.

“Russia and ASEAN proceed from the assumption that present-day challenges to international security in the nuclear sphere should be removed on the basis of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The creation of a nuclear-free zone in South-East Asia will be a contribution to full global nuclear disarmament.”
The leaders reiterated their desire to jointly fight terrorism and agreed to step up contacts between law enforcement agencies.

The leaders pointed to “the growing topicality of the formation in the region of the partner network of multilateral associations and forums. Both Russia and ASEAN will take action for the development of cooperation between ASEAN and Shanghai Cooperation Organization, as well as their anti-terrorist structures.” So far as economic cooperation is concerned, “Russia is going to render assistance to ASEAN in the implementation of the plan of the creation of the ASEAN Economic Community for the development of business in the region.” “We shall analyse a possibility of the expansion of cooperation in industry, of the development of small and medium business and of the exchange of scientific and technological finds in the sphere of energy,” the joint statement said.

(MS)