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Russia-ASEAN summit

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Vladimir Putin took part in a plenary meeting of the Russia-ASEAN summit.
November 14, 2018
10:45
Singapore


The summit participants discussed the deepening of cooperation in trade, investment and humanitarian spheres, the strengthening of ties between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, as well as current international and regional issues.

After the plenary session, the participants adopted a Joint Statement of the 3rd Russian Federation-ASEAN summit on strategic partnership and the statement of the Russian Federation and ASEAN on cooperation in ensuring the security of information and communication technologies and their safe use.

The sides signed a memorandum of understanding between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Eurasian Economic Commission on economic cooperation. This was done in the presence of heads of national delegations taking part in the summit.

ASEAN comprises 10 Southeast Asian countries, including Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Russia became a dialogue partner in July 1996.

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Speeches at the plenary session of the Russia-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit

Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong: Your Majesty, excellencies. On behalf of all of the ASEAN leaders, may I welcome President Vladimir Putin to Singapore. And we are very honoured that you can join us at this 3rd ASEAN-Russia summit.

The last time ASEAN and Russia’s leaders met was in 2016 in Sochi, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of ASEAN-Russia dialogue relations. I am very happy that since then we have made much progress in our partnership. ASEAN and Russia work together in a broad range of areas, from political security issues to economic, to social and cultural issues. Russia also participates actively in ASEAN-led fora like the ASEAN Regional Forum, the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus the East Asia Summit.

Today’s summit is timely because it gives both sides the opportunity to reaffirm our commitment, to further strengthen ASEAN-Russia ties. The two ASEAN and Russian leaders will issue a joint statement as well as a statement on cooperation in the field of security and in the use of information and communication technologies. We will also witness a signing of an MoU on economic cooperation. And these deliverables highlight the breadth and scope of the ASEAN-Russia relationship.

Singapore supports upgrading the ASEAN-Russia relationship to a strategic partnership. I am confident that this strategic partnership will enhance cooperation in areas which are of interest to both sides. And I look forward to our discussion with President Putin and our fellow ASEAN leaders on how we can further strengthen this dialogue partnership.

Now I invite President Putin to say a few words.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Chairman, Colleagues,

First of all, I would like to thank the Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, Mr Lee Hsien Loong, for the initiative to host the Russia-ASEAN summit.

Russia pays great attention to the development of relations with ASEAN based on mutual respect and consideration for each other’s interests.

At the May 2016 Sochi summit, which Mr Prime Minister just mentioned, we adopted a declaration and an action plan aimed at taking cooperation between Russia and ASEAN to the strategic partnership level.

Over the past two years, we have accomplished a lot together. Political dialogue intensified; Russia’s permanent mission to ASEAN was established in Jakarta last year. We coordinate our approaches to key issues on the Asia-Pacific agenda, to the challenges and threats to regional stability, and enhance joint efforts to fight terrorism, drug trafficking and organised crime.

Our foreign ministers hold annual meetings. The Russian Defence Minister takes part in the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ meetings, and the Interior Minister attends the ASEAN Association of Chiefs of Police (ASEANAPOL) conferences. Contacts have also been established between Russian lawmakers and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly.

Economic relations are evolving steadily. In 2017, Russia's trade with ASEAN increased by 35 percent. Mutual accumulated investment exceeds $25 billion.

Our joint business cooperation roadmap containing about 60 joint projects in industry and high technology is being successfully implemented. There are cooperation programmes in energy and agriculture. The Russia-ASEAN Business Council is active too.

It would be useful to continue the work of the Russian delegation to the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, which ended in Singapore yesterday.

In turn, business leaders from ASEAN countries are always widely represented at the St Petersburg and Eastern Economic forums in Russia. Taking this opportunity, I would like to invite ASEAN officials and business representatives to visit Russia to attend the next meetings of these forums in 2019.

We consider it important to establish regular dialogue between ASEAN and the Eurasian Economic Union. The signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Association and the Eurasian Economic Commission is a step in this direction.

We are grateful to our ASEAN partners for supporting the Russian initiative to pass a joint statement on information security aiming to more effectively combat cybercrime and to chart common approaches regarding the behaviour of states in the global information space.

Russia will join ASEAN plans to establish a chain of smart cities. Moscow, the Russian capital, leads the way in introducing urban digital technology. Moscow already proactively cooperates with Singapore on a bilateral basis. We hope that the region of this cooperation will expand on a reciprocal basis.

It goes without saying that close coordination in emergency response to natural disasters and industrial accidents is in high demand. We have finished working on a cooperation memorandum for preventing emergency situations and conducting clean-up operations. We hope that it will be possible to sign this document soon.

We are ready to continue helping ASEAN states in their efforts to check the spread of infectious diseases. We suggest tapping the potential of various programmes to raise the qualification of medical personnel at a biological safety and security centre that has opened in Vladivostok earlier this year. We could also consider holding joint exercises and practicing rapid response measures to combat dangerous infectious diseases.

In addition, I would like to note the sustained development of cultural and humanitarian ties between Russia and the ASEAN states.

Two weeks ago, Myanmar hosted the first meeting of the working group on education. We are implementing an action plan in the area of science, technology and innovation until 2025. A network of research centres of leading Russian and ASEAN universities has been operating since April.

It would be useful to organise educational and university forums on a regular basis. Russia successfully hosted such events in 2016 and 2017.

The holding of Russia-ASEAN youth summits helps strengthen ties between young people of our countries. The Republic of the Philippines is to host the next summit in 2019.

Colleagues,

I have only set out the most important aspects of Russia-ASEAN cooperation, as well as key agreements and documents that were drafted ahead of the summit.

I am confident that wide-ranging opportunities and horizons are opening up for our expanded cooperation.

I am counting on an open and interested exchange of opinions.

Thank you.

Meeting with Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe


Vladimir Putin met with Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe in Singapore to discuss various aspects of Russian-Japanese cooperation.
November 14, 2018
15:40
Singapore





With Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe.

The leaders of Russia and Japan have agreed at their meeting to intensify negotiations to draft a peace treaty, based on the Soviet-Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Prime Minister, colleagues,

We are all pleased to meet you again.

Our relations are developing steadily. We maintain regular contact. Our trade is growing: it increased by 14 percent last year and by 17.7 percent in the first nine months of this year.

I am glad to have an opportunity to discuss all aspects of our cooperation with you, including those you regard as a priority.

We will also meet at the G20 summit, and there is a schedule of our subsequent contacts.

I am glad to see you.

Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe (retranslated): I am happy to meet with President Putin today.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the hospitality we received in the beautiful city of Vladivostok in September. I congratulate you on the success of the Eastern Economic Forum.

Since then, we have accomplished a business mission, which means that we are working to implement our plans for joint economic activities.

I am also happy with the progress we have made in the sphere of defence, which includes the October visit to Russia by Katsutoshi Kawano Chief of Staff of the Japanese Self-Defence Forces, and other consultations.

We are pressed for time today, but I hope we will be able to discuss not only bilateral issues, including the economy, but also the international situation, in particular, North Korea. I would also like to talk about the peace treaty. I am ready to devote considerable time to the issue of the peace treaty.

Vladimir Putin: Before we start to discuss practical topics, I would like to congratulate you on your re-election as head of the Liberal Democratic Party. This offers hope for continuing our dialogue as it has developed recently.

Shinzo Abe: Thank you.

Vladimir Putin met with President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in

November 14, 2018
12:20
Singapore






With President of South Korea Moon Jae-in.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President, colleagues,

I am very glad to see you.

The Republic of Korea is one of our key partners in Asia; in fact, it is our second-largest trade partner after the People’s Republic of China. In 2017, bilateral trade soared by 23 percent, increasing by another 13 percent in the first nine months of 2018.

We are working actively on the international scene, and this includes our efforts to resolve the main and most sensitive issue, that of the North Korean nuclear problem.

We always have a lot to discuss: the scope of our relations is very huge.

I am very happy to see you.

President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in (retranslated): Mr President, first of all, I would like to thank you for the warm welcome I received in Moscow in June and Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon received in Vladivostok at the fourth Eastern Economic Forum.

Also, I would like to say that Federation Council Speaker [Valentina] Matviyenko visited Korea last month. I am glad that our countries maintain active contacts at the top and high levels.

It should be said that last week we hosted a successful First Korean-Russian Forum of Interregional Cooperation, which has become a positive venue for strengthening cooperation and interaction between Korean and Russian regions.

I would like to use this occasion to thank you for your attention to that forum, which you conveyed in your message of greetings delivered by Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East [Alexander] Kozlov.

I am grateful to you for your attention and support. We have launched a major peaceful process on the Korean Peninsula starting with the Olympic Games in PyeongChang.

We are preparing for two meetings, one between the presidents of the United States and North Korea, and a return visit of President Kim Jong-un to Seoul. We hope that these two meetings will bring positive results and will help us make yet another step towards peace on the Korean Peninsula.

This year, Korean-Russian relations have been developing faster than ever in all spheres, allowing us to move our bilateral cooperation to the regional level while preserving the values of universal peace and prosperity.

I hope we will maintain the current level of relations between our countries. I believe that this will enable us to attain the common goal we have set for the 30th anniversary of our diplomatic relations in 2020. This goal is to increase bilateral trade to $30 billion and the number of tourists to 1 million people.

I hope that today we will continue our constructive dialogue on the intensive development of Korean-Russian strategic partnership and on strengthening cooperation while ensuring peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and Southeast Asia as a whole.

State dinner in honour of the President of Russia

November 13, 2018
15:30
Singapore






Before the state dinner in honour of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin.

A state dinner was held in Singapore on behalf of the President of the Republic, Halimah Yacob, in honour of President of Russia Vladimir Putin. The function took place in the presidential residence, the Istana. The Russian leader gave a welcoming speech.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Madam President Halimah Yacob,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to thank you for the invitation to visit the Republic of Singapore and the hospitality extended to us.

As has already been said, it is symbolic that this year we celebrated the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations. During this period, our interaction developed steadily and filled with new content.

Singapore is an important and promising partner of Russia in the Asia-Pacific Region. Madam President and I have had productive, comprehensive and interesting talks; we discussed almost all of our bilateral agenda in a friendly and open atmosphere.

As far as I know, they often say in Singapore that among friends, even water runs sweet as honey. Mutual trust is the foundation of progress, friendship and development. The relations that have developed between us are truly based on mutual respect and trust. This was confirmed by the groundbreaking ceremony for the first Russian cultural centre and Orthodox church here in Singapore today.

I am confident that this gesture and the subsequent construction of the centre will serve as a solid foundation for the development of bilateral relations, especially for the people who will come here, to Singapore, more and more often, will get acquainted with your country and will have the opportunity to visit the Russian Orthodox Church and our cultural centre. The people in Singapore, in turn, will be exposed to the culture of the Russian Federation.

Allow me to make a toast to the well-being and prosperity of Russia and Singapore! To our friendship and Madam President’s health!Meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad


Vladimir Putin met with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad as part of his visit to Singapore.
November 13, 2018
17:00
Singapore






Meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

The President of Russia arrived in the Republic of Singapore on a three-day state visit to attend the Russia – Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and the 13thEast Asia Summit.

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Beginning of the meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Prime Minister, colleagues, friends.

I am very pleased to see you again. I remember back in 2003 I presented you with an Order of Friendship when I was in your country.

Over the years, we have maintained, by and large, fairly good relations between our countries. In the first eight months of the current year bilateral trade grew by over 60 percent. However, much can still be done, and much, I think, could have been done in previous years.

I am very pleased to see you and discuss all these opportunities.

Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad: I am very glad indeed to meet you again. I hope that with our meeting we can look into the relationship between Malaysia and Russia. I hope that we can increase our trade. Our trade is quite good, but we can do better.

There is an economic, scientific, technical and cultural agreement.

Remark: We are now finalising the co-chair of the committee, and once we finalise that, we can continue with the meeting.

Mahathir Mohamad: As you know, we have a number of Russian aircraft. I think we need to learn more about how to maintain and repair the aircraft.