On 31 July 2019, H.E. Mrs. Retno L.P. Marsudi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, and H.E. Mr. Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, co-chaired the ASEAN-Russia Ministerial Meeting, which is part of the 52^nd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM)/ Post Ministerial Conferences (PMCs) held in Bangkok.

          The Meeting was pleased that the Work Plan, adopted at the ASEAN-Russia Summit in 2016 in Sochi, has been implemented by 60 percent and supported the drafting of a new Plan of Action for 2021 – 2025. The Meeting discussed ways to expand ASEAN-Russia cooperation in various areas, such as in countering terrorism and countering violent extremism as well as in strengthening cyber security and disaster management capacity and the development of smart cities. In addition, the Ministers exchanged views on the current regional developments such as the Indo-Pacific and the Korean Peninsula.      

          ASEAN-Russia Dialogue Partnership commenced in 1996. Russia acceded to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia in 2004. The trade volume between the two parties has reached 9.88 billion USD in the first half of 2019. Russia is the 8^th trading partner of ASEAN. On people-to-people connectivity, ASEAN and Russia maintain a regular exchange of information, cultural activities, and youth programmes through the ASEAN Centre at Moscow State Institute of International Relations, as well as the Network of ASEAN-Russia Think-Tanks.