The embassies of the 10 ASEAN member states in Russia held an ASEAN Day
in Moscow on October 31 with the aim of consolidating the bloc’s unity.
Bruneian Ambassador Haini Hashim, who is
currently Chairman of the ASEAN Committee in Russia for a six-month
tenure, affirmed the major role of ASEAN in building and developing a
peaceful and stable Southeast Asian region.
2014
marks 10 years since the bloc and Russia signed a Partnership and
Cooperation Agreement, he said, adding that the two sides have
continuously developed the mutually-benefited relationship in such
fields as culture, science, education, tourism and economics.
Over the past five years, two-way trade enjoyed a three-fold
increase, from 6.8 billion USD in 2009 to nearly 20 billion USD in 2013.
Russia’s direct investment in ASEAN rose fourfold, from 140 million USD
to 542 million USD.-VNA