ASEAN Centre in MGIMO

🎙 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's opening remarks at the Russia-ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (Manila, July 22, 2026) 💬 Sergey Lavrov: Before beginning my remarks, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the people of Thailand and to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in the recent devastating fire in Bangkok. We wish all those injured a speedy recovery. *** First of all, I would like to thank the Philippine ASEAN Chairmanship for its warm hospitality and the excellent organisation of this meeting, which is being held in the year marking the 35th anniversary of Russia-ASEAN relations. We are also grateful to Myanmar, the country coordinator for the #RussiaASEAN dialogue, for its efforts to advance our strategic partnership within this format. In 2027, the coordinating role will pass to Vietnam, and we have no doubt that the steady development of Russia-ASEAN relations will continue. At yesterday evening’s excellent reception and before the meeting began this morning, many of our ASEAN colleagues and friends recalled the Russia-ASEAN Summit held in Kazan just over a month ago. They spoke highly of the meeting, which clearly demonstrated the mutual commitment of Russia and ASEAN to further rapprochement and broader cooperation based on equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit. 👉 More on the Russia-ASEAN Summit marking the 35th anniversary of #RussiaASEAN relations Our Leaders reached important agreements in the areas of politics and security, countering new threats and challenges, and developing trade, economic, investment, cultural, educational and humanitarian ties. We see promising prospects for cooperation in food and energy security, digital transformation and the platform economy. The four fundamental documents adopted at the Kazan Summit (1, 2, 3, 4) provide clear guidelines for our joint work in all these areas. ☝️ Russia firmly believes that ASEAN is our reliable partner and like-minded ally. For our part, we consistently support #ASEAN’s central role in regional affairs and contribute to strengthening the ASEAN-centred system of interstate relations based on international law, openness, equality and – I would particularly emphasise – consideration for the interests of all participants. Our common efforts will also be greatly assisted by the shared understanding of international developments reaffirmed in Kazan, as well as the Leaders’ commitment to building a fairer and more sustainable #MultipolarWorld order, strengthening a balanced security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region and, of course, expanding comprehensive cooperation across our vast Eurasian continent. 🤝 I hope that today’s meeting will strengthen our cooperation in all these areas, give fresh impetus to implementing the agreements reached at the Kazan Summit and help unlock the vast potential of Russia–ASEAN cooperation.