"Russia is one of the prominent dialogue partners of ASEAN."London (ANTARA News) - Indonesia has encouraged Russia to play a bigger role in helping meet the ASEAN connectivity 2015 goals, according to an ambassador.
"The cooperation could be made in three broad areas: politics and security; economy; and society and culture," Indonesian Ambassador to ASEAN I Ngurah Swajaya said here at a forum, entitled "ASEAN and Russian Federation: Towards a Progressive and Comprehensive Partnership", on Wednesday.
These three broad areas include sectors such as education, tourism, science and technology, economy, and trade and investment. The focus is also on community relations improvement and inter-state crime eradication, he continued.
"Russia is one of the prominent dialogue partners of ASEAN. Therefore, there is plenty of scope for cooperation in various sectors. For instance, in the infrastructure sector there can be cooperation in railway projects to connect ASEAN countries," Swajaya noted.
Meanwhile, Russian Ambassador to Asia-Pacific and ASEAN countries Alexander Ivanov stated that security and stability are required to support national development and increase cooperation.
"Russia has the potential to meet the requirements of ASEAN in land, sea, air, and even underground," he said.
"However, we all need to trust each other so we can increase our cooperation," Ivanov added.
Organized by the Indonesian Embassy in Moscow, the forum was attended by 80 participants, including a number of ambassadors from ASEAN countries, Russia-ASEAN Business Council executive director Victor Tarusin, ASEAN MGIMO director Victor Sumsky, state officials, businessmen and college students.
Swajaya also delivered a public lecture at Saint Petersburg State University on the current developments in ASEAN, as well as on Indonesia`s role in enhancing the relations between Russia and ASEAN.
Meanwhile, Indonesian Ambassador to Russia Federation and Republic of Belarus Djauhari Oratmangun stated that the forum was aimed at strengthening relations between ASEAN member countries and Russia.
"Moreover, this event is also aimed at highlighting the role of Indonesia in boosting ASEAN-Russia relations," he added.
(Uu.J010/INE/KR-BSR/S012)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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