In Kazan, on the sidelines of the Russia–ASEAN Summit, the Business Forum “Russia–ASEAN: Partnership Without Borders” was held. The event is dedicated to a double anniversary — 35 years of diplomatic relations and 30 years of full-format dialogue partnership.
The Forum brought together representatives of all 11 ASEAN member states, with most countries represented at the highest level, including the Prime Ministers of Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
In his greeting to the participants, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized:
“This year marks 35 years of Russia–ASEAN relations. Over this period, we have accumulated substantial experience of multidimensional cooperation, established stable ties… and created a solid foundation for the future.”
According to Sergey Katyrin, President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, practically all ASEAN countries were represented by top officials, demonstrating a high level of interest in developing relations with Russia.
Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov noted that trade turnover between Russia and ASEAN has grown by 58% over the past 10 years, reaching $21 billion, despite the complex geopolitical situation.
Several cooperation agreements in trade, technology, and industrial partnership were signed during the Forum.
ASEAN unites 11 Southeast Asian nations with a combined population of over 680 million people and a total GDP exceeding $4 trillion. For Russia, developing relations with this dynamically growing region remains one of its strategic priorities in Asia.
