JAKARTA, July 27 — Russia is an important partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in ensuring food security, said Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.
"Russia, as a major global producer of wheat and fertilisers, is an important Asean partner in ensuring food security... Just symbolic events are not enough.
"We should focus on promoting concrete cooperation," the ministry website quoted Marsudi as saying yesterday following the meeting of Russian and Asean Foreign Ministers in Laos, reported Sputnik.
In addition to cooperation in the agricultural sector, Asean and Russia "need to work together to improve the resilience of food supply chains, especially in times of crisis".
Marsoudi also welcomed Russia's role in building Asean's cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
"With a combined population of over 850 million people, the potential for Asean and EAEU cooperation is enormous, including in trade, investment, digital economy, cybersecurity and sustainable development," she said.
Laos, which holds the 2024 Asean chairmanship, is currently hosting the annual series of ministerial and post-ministerial meetings of the bloc and Asean Dialogue Partner countries.
Asean consists of ten Southeast Asian countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. East Timor is preparing to become the eleventh Asean state in the near future.
— Bernama
