ASEAN Day in Russia tightens bloc's unity

The embassies of the ten ASEAN member states in Russia held an ASEAN Day in Moscow on October 31 with the aim of consolidating the bloc’s unity.

Ambassdors of the ten ASEAN member countries and guests at the ASEAN Day in Moscow.

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 ten years since the bloc and Russia signed a Partnership and Co-operation Agreement, he said, adding that the two sides have continuously developed the mutually-beneficial 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 US$6.8 billion in 2009 to nearly US$20 billion in 2013. Russia’s direct investment in ASEAN rose fourfold, from US$140 million to US$542 million.

(Source: nhandan.org.vn)