Prime Minister Prayut supported enhancing ASEAN-Russia relations and advocating cooperation on science, technology, R &D on vaccines, BCG Model, connectivity and also congratulated the 30th Anniversary of ASEAN-Russia Relations at the 4th ASEAN-Russia Summit.

On 28 October 2021, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister of Thailand attended the 4th ASEAN-Russia Summit to Commemorate the 25th Anniversary of ASEAN-Russia Dialogue Partnership and the 30th Anniversary of ASEAN-Russia Relations as part of the 38th and 39th ASEAN Summits and Related Summits. The Meeting was co-chaired by His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam and His Excellency Mr. Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation.

The Meeting reviewed ASEAN-Russia cooperation, especially following the 3rd ASEAN-Russia Summit in 2018, and discussed the future direction of ASEAN-Russia Strategic Partnership. The Meeting also expressed appreciation for Russia’s support of ASEAN centrality and its constructive role in the ASEAN-centred regional architecture, particularly the East Asia Summit (EAS), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus).

The Prime Minister encouraged Russia to pursue practical cooperation in the areas identified under the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and welcomed Russia’s proposal to designate the year 2022 as the ASEAN-Russia Year of Science and Technology Cooperation, to build upon cooperation in the fields of Russia’s expertise, especially on vaccine research and development as well as cooperation on the Bio-Circular-Green Economy or BCG Model. The Prime Minister also supported promoting connectivity between the two regions, in line with Russia’s Greater Eurasian Partnership Initiative and ASEAN’s Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) 2025 under the Connecting the Connectivities initiative, towards post-COVID-19 recovery.