08 April 2016 - Senior officials of the ten (10) ASEAN member countries and the Russian Federation met in Moscow from April 04 to 05. The Philippine delegation was headed by Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary Ma. Hellen B. de la Vega, Acting Philippine SOM Leader to ASEAN, while the Russian side was led by Deputy Foreign Minister (DFM) Igor V. Morgulov. Philippine Ambassador to the Russian Federation and representative to the ASEAN-Russia Eminent Persons Group (AREPG) Carlos D. Sorreta, also joined the delegation.
According to DFM Morgulov, this year’s Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) is particularly important because ASEAN and Russia are celebrating 20 years of dialogue partnership. For the first time in 20 years, the Leaders of ASEAN and Russia will meet in Sochi from May 19 to 20 to commemorate this important milestone.
A number meetings and activities are also lined up at the sidelines -- the ASEAN-Russia Culture Ministers Meeting, the ASEAN-Russia Business Forum, and the ASEAN-Russia Cultural Festival. DFM Morgulov emphasized that the general objective is to “raise the level of partnership” and establish the foundation for the future of ASEAN-Russia relations. This is to contribute in maintaining “durable security and sustainable development” in the Asia Pacific region.
The SOM lauded the work of the AREPG which was created last year with the mandate to assess ASEAN-Russia relations and provide concrete recommendations on how to move the partnership forward in the coming decades.
Now on its 13th year, the ASEAN-Russia SOM is held annually to take stock of the cooperation between the two sides in such areas as trade and investment, energy, countering terrorism and transnational crimes, disaster management and emergency response, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
Leading the discussion on Energy and Science and Technology Cooperation from the ASEAN side, Assistant Secretary De la Vega noted that this area is very promising given Russia’s status as a global energy player and its major advances in space technology, materials science, aerospace, software development and chemistry.
“Russia’s experience in these fields provides ASEAN with ample opportunity to learn from, and collaborate with dynamic Russian partners,” said Assistant Secretary De la Vega. In this connection, she presented the Philippine proposal on the establishment of an ASEAN-Russia Science and Technology Network that would link academics and researchers from ASEAN and Russia, including those under the prestigious Russian Academy of Sciences.
On people-to-people exchanges, the Russian side welcomed the Philippines’ interest to host the 5th ASEAN-Russia Youth Summit in Manila next year as part of the activities of the Philippines’ ASEAN Chairmanship and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of ASEAN.
The SOM likewise exchanged views on the Asia Pacific regional architecture, nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, situation in the Middle East, and security threats and challenges, including the South China Sea issue. Assistant Secretary De la Vega reiterated the Philippines’ position on the importance of safeguarding the freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea. She reaffirmed the significance of the full and effective implementation of the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and expeditious conclusion of a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC).
In addition, Assistant Secretary De la Vega noted that “the Philippines recognizes Russia’s position on the South China Sea, particularly that the parties should settle the dispute peacefully in line with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).”
The SOM concluded on a high note with the two sides renewing their commitment to further deepen ASEAN-Russia engagement. They agreed to fast-track preparations to make the year-long celebration of the 20th anniversary of ASEAN-Russia relations intensive and productive. END
