Russia emphasizes need to improve integration bodies in Asia-Pacific region - Lavrov

MANILA, August 8. /TASS/. During the session of the ASEAN Regional Forum on security, Moscow proposed to take the stock of the integration bodies active in the region in order to improve their cooperation efficiency, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said following the ASEAN meetings in Manila. "Members of the ASEAN Regional Forum on security expressed interest in our initiative to take the stock of the organizations active in the Asia Pacific Region - ASEAN and its dialogue partners, the East Asia Summit, the ASEAN Regional Forum on security. There is also the ASEANPOL, a regional Interpol, which is a platform for active cooperation between our representatives. There is also another mechanism - meetings between defense ministers dubbed ASEAN Plus Partners, which involves our Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu," Lavrov noted. "We have proposed that ways to establish networking relations between these bodies be considered in order to better coordinate their activities and develop ties with organizations not related to ASEAN, first and foremost, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization," the Russian top diplomat said. "In this regard, we pointed to the agreement reached between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his ASEAN counterparts in May 2016, aimed at establishing the so-called ‘wide Eurasian partnership’ through developing comprehensive ties between the members of the Eurasian Economic Union, Shanghai Cooperation Organization and ASEAN," Lavrov added. Read more