AI Brief
- Russia and ASEAN are holding substantive dialogue on new cooperation areas, including pandemic response, youth engagement, and customs issues, according to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
- The talks focused on implementing decisions from the Russia–ASEAN summit in Kazan, covering politics, trade, investment, culture, education, and humanitarian cooperation.
- ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn is visiting Moscow for meetings with Russian officials and institutions, marking 35 years of ASEAN-Russia relations and growing bilateral trade.
Russia and ASEAN are engaged in substantive dialogue on launching new areas of cooperation – pandemic response, youth and customs issues. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said this at a meeting with Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
“We are in the midst of substantive dialogue on launching new areas of our cooperation, including combating pandemics, as well as dialogue on youth and customs issues,” Lavrov said.
The main topic of the talks was the implementation of the decisions of the Russia–ASEAN summit in Kazan, held on 18 June 2026. The sides discussed the implementation of the leaders’ agreements in politics, trade, investment, culture, education and the humanitarian sphere.
Lavrov noted the role of the ASEAN Secretariat in preparing the Kazan summit and coordinating the final documents. He recalled that Kao Kim Hourn’s visit to Russia was already his second this year.
“Promoting the strategic partnership with ASEAN is one of our unwavering priorities in the Asian and Eurasian direction. We see ASEAN as a reliable partner with whom we have been linked by many years of work on the international stage and an increasing number of practical projects,” Lavrov stated.
Kao Kim Hourn thanked the Russian side for the invitation and reception. He congratulated Russia on the successful holding of the anniversary summit and noted that the documents adopted in Kazan – the Kazan Declaration, joint statements and the Comprehensive Plan of Action for 2026–2030 – had created a solid foundation for further cooperation.
“ASEAN-Russia relations remain one of ASEAN’s most dynamic, substantive and strategically significant partnerships. We value Russia’s consistent support for ASEAN centrality and your participation in ASEAN-led mechanisms,” the Secretary-General said.
Kao Kim Hourn also said that ASEAN had begun implementing the “ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future” strategic plan and expressed hope for close cooperation with Russia on common goals – sustainable development, innovation and regional prosperity.
Kao Kim Hourn is in Moscow on a working visit from 12 to 15 October. In addition to talks with Lavrov, he is scheduled to hold meetings at the Presidential Administration, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Digital Development and the Ministry of Energy, as well as a meeting with Bakhytzhan Sagintayev, Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission, meetings with business and expert circles, and speaking engagements at Russian Energy Week and a conference at MGIMO University.
Kao Kim Hourn’s visit comes as Russia and ASEAN mark 35 years since the establishment of relations. ASEAN-Russia trade exceeds US$20 billion (about 1.68 trillion roubles), while mutual investment continues to grow steadily. In June 2026, Kao Kim Hourn travelled to Kazan for the Russia–ASEAN summit. The Kazan Declaration was adopted following the meeting.
