.RF, USA to participate in November E Asian summits on Bali - Lavrov.

.RF, USA to participate in November E Asian summits on Bali - Lavrov.
 
    22/7 Tass 239
 
    BALI ISLAND, July 22 (Itar-Tass) -- Leaders of Russia and the USA will
participate in the summit meeting mechanism of the East Asian summits, due
in November on Bali, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on
Friday.
    "The ministerial meeting has discussed preparations for the upcoming
EAC /East Asian Community/ summit," he said. "Russia and the USA joined
this mechanism last year, our leaders will participate in the EAC summit
in November of the current year on Bali."
    After Russia and the USA's joining /in 2011/, all EAC participants
expressed interest in discussing political and security issues, Lavrov
said. He expressed satisfaction with Russia's initial experience in the
EAC.
    "This is a very promising format, which has united major players of
the Asia-Pacific Region, and it may become an important mechanism to work
out agreements," he said.
    "One of priority aspects of today's meeting were problems of
non-proliferation /of nuclear missiles/," he continued. "We have agreed to
improve cooperation in security at seas in connection with the problem of
piracy."
    Lavrov added that the Russian delegation highlighted to the
participants in the meeting the idea of indivisibility of security.
    Russia and the USA today for the first time participated together at a
ministerial meeting of the EAC as full-format members. The decision to
invite Russia and United States join the mechanism of East Asian forum was
adopted by the ASEAN 16th summit in Hanoi in spring 2010. Later on, at the
EAC 5th summit, also in Hanoi in late October of 2010, Moscow and
Washington received official invitations to become members of the East
Asian Community.
    The EAC's first summit was organised in December of 2005 in Malaysia.
It was founded by 16 countries - ten ASEAN countries and six other
countries of the Asia-Pacific Region - Australia, India, China, New
Zealand, South Korea, Japan. The major objectives of the new regional
forum were announced to be promotion of peace, stability and economic
well-being of East Asia. The EAC member-countries work actively to
guarantee financial stability in the region, support energy security and
promote economic integration.
    Joining of Russia and the USA to the EAC, as experts say, will add
more options for the structure to solve regional and global problems and
will provide favourable conditions for expanding multilateral cooperation
for the benefit of the world and development in the region and far beyond
its territory.
    -0-kar/usn