Phnom Penh, 29 April 2023 - The 19th ASEAN-Russia Senior Officials Meeting (19th ARSOM) was held in Siem Reap province on April 27-28, 2023.
The Meeting was co- chaired by H.E. Kung Phoak, Secretary of State and ASEAN SOM Leader of Cambodia, and H.E. Andrei Rudenko, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and SOM Leader of Russia for ASEAN, and attended by Senior Officials and representatives of ASEAN Member States, the Russian Federation and the ASEAN Secretariat. Representative of Timor-Leste also attended the Meeting.
According to a press release of the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Meeting thanked Cambodia for its efforts as Country Coordinator for ASEAN-Russia Dialogue Relations for 2021-2024, and expressed support for Indonesia's ASEAN Chair year and its theme "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth.”
The Meeting reviewed the progress and developments between ASEAN and Russia. The Meeting noted with satisfaction the good progress in the implementation of the ASEAN-Russia Comprehensive Plan of Action (CPA) 2021-2025 and committed to the full implementation of the remaining action lines. The Meeting also deliberated on the future direction of ASEAN-Russia cooperation. The Meeting took note of Russia's interest to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the ASEAN-Russia Strategic Partnership this year through implementing various joint activities as well as Russia's proposal to hold several joint activities related to countering organised crimes, MSMEs, sustainable development, smart cities, and education cooperation, amongst others.
H.E. Kung Phoak underlined the long-standing friendship between ASEAN and Russia and stressed the importance of Russia's firm support for ASEAN Centrality which has been reflected in Russia's active participation in ASEAN-led mechanisms to promote peace, security, stability and socio-economic growth and prosperity in the region. He added that ASEAN and Russia need to further strengthen cooperation within the three pillars of the ASEAN Community to advance ASEAN-Russia partnership to new height.
H.E. Andrei Rudenko appreciated Cambodia for the smooth coordination and reaffirmed Russia's continued commitment to further enhancing ASEAN-Russia relations. He also expressed Russia's continued support for the ASEAN Centrality in the evolving regional architecture to uphold peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
The Meeting also discussed matters of common and urgent interests relating to the regional architecture, stressing the importance of enhancing cooperation in the Covid-19 post recovery.
Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse (AKP)