Russia Interested In Deeper Cooperation With ASEM Countries - Lavrov

Umer Jamshaid Published June 22, 2021 | 01:50 PM

Russia sees many ways of expanding cooperation with countries of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) political dialogue forum, including in areas such as information and communications technologies and customs matters, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd June, 2021) Russia sees many ways of expanding cooperation with countries of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) political dialogue forum, including in areas such as information and communications technologies and customs matters, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"Socio-economic recovery from the pandemic is an absolute priority. This should clearly be the focus of the decisions of the ASEM Summit to be held in Phnom Penh in November this year. We are interested in deepening cooperation on customs matters, establishing transcontinental supply chains relying on rail transport, expanding e-commerce, modernizing remote areas and developing women's entrepreneurship," Lavrov said at the ASEM opening ceremony on Tuesday.

The foreign minister added that Russia also sees possibilities for closer cooperation in the areas of urban development, information and communications technologies, and vocational education and training, with a view to implementing joint projects.

According to Lavrov, organizations such as the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) are successfully working on issues related to cross-platform relations and continent-wide processes, in keeping with the "integration of integrations" concept. Connectivity is also on the ASEM agenda.

"We expect that the EU will join our collective work. The natural movement of states and international structures located in the ASEM space towards each other is designed to facilitate broader pan-Eurasian integration in the foreseeable future. I would like to recall that this task is exactly what President Vladimir Putin's initiative to create the Greater Eurasian partnership is aimed at," Lavrov said.

He expressed confidence that the Tuesday ASEM meeting in Moscow would help achieve these objectives and would contribute to the preparations for the upcoming ASEM summit in Cambodia.