Economy ministers of Russia, ASEAN to meet in Singapore in late August - Lavrov

SINGAPORE, August 2. /TASS/. The economy ministers of Russia and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states are expected to meet in Singapore in late August, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, addressing a Russia-ASEAN ministerial meeting on Thursday. "We welcome positive trends in trade, which grew by more than 30% last year," he said. "Now we need to consider promising initiatives and projects in the fields of energy, agriculture, healthcare, small business and environmental protection," the Russian top diplomat added. "A meeting of economy ministers of Russia and ASEAN countries is scheduled to take place in Singapore in late August," Lavrov said. He was confident that the meeting would allow the parties to advance cooperation in all the above mentioned areas. Besides, the Russian foreign minister expressed hope that ASEAN countries would take part in the Fourth Eastern Economic Forum set to be held in Russia’s Far Eastern city of Vladivostok on September 11-13. More than 6,000 people are expected to participate in the event. Read more