The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Russia should strengthen security, economic, and cultural ties to attain peace, prosperity, and people-centered growth, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Thursday.
During the ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit in Kazan, Russia, Marcos emphasized the importance of advancing the strategic partnership between the regional bloc and Moscow, highlighting 35 years of partnership grounded in mutual respect, shared interests, and a commitment to peaceful cooperation.
“Thirty-five years ago, Russia’s participation in the ASEAN ministerial meeting in Kuala Lumpur planted the first seeds of what has grown into a strategic partnership of genuine consequence,” he said.
“The principles that guided those early steps – mutual respect, sovereign equality, and the commitment to peaceful cooperation enshrined in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation – remain as relevant today as they were then. They are not merely historical anchors. They are active guides for the world still before us.”
Amid geopolitical tensions and uncertainty, Marcos cited the need to enhance political and security engagement between ASEAN and Russia.
He said key transnational threats transcend borders, demanding coordinated cooperation rather than reactive measures.
He noted that strengthening maritime security, counter-terrorism efforts, and cyber resilience emerged as urgent priorities to safeguard regional and global peace, security, and stability.
“In an era of deepening geopolitical uncertainty, the value of steady political and security engagement between ASEAN and Russia cannot be overstated. Transnational threats, such as terrorism, illicit trafficking, cybercrime, and online scams, do not respect borders, and neither can our responses,” Marcos said.
He also cited the need for “a more dynamic economic partnership” to achieve sustainable growth.
The ASEAN and Russia, he said, must be “more deliberate and more ambitious” in expanding economic opportunities, improving trade facilitation, deepening investment flows, and connecting business communities.
“Our trade and investment ties have grown, but they have yet to reach full potential,” Marcos said, drawing attention to food and energy security as cornerstones of broader regional stability.
He said economic cooperation must be inclusive, empowering micro, small, and medium enterprises and focusing on emerging sectors that are crucial for shaping the future global economy.
He also underscored the people-to-people connectivity between ASEAN and Russia, citing scholarships, student exchanges, academic partnerships, tourism, and the arts as vital pillars for sustaining the partnership.
“These are not peripheral to our relationship; they are at its living core. The connections forged between our peoples outlast any summit declaration and carry our partnership forward in ways that policy alone cannot do,” Marcos said.
He said investing in youth engagement is paramount, positioning them as active agents in shaping the future of ASEAN-Russia cooperation.
“We must continue to invest in these bonds, placing our youth not merely at the receiving end of this cooperation but at its center as the generation that will ultimately decide what ASEAN-Russia relations will become,” he added. (PNA)
