1 - Russia, ASEAN and East Asia

Summary

On 13 December 2005, on the occasion of the series of summit meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Kuala Lumpur, President Vladimir V. Putin took part in the first-ever meeting between the leaders of ASEAN as a group and the president of the Russian Federation. The next day, the inaugural meeting of the East Asia Summit (EAS) took place. The ten member states of ASEAN, Australia, China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and New Zealand participated in the first EAS — but not Russia.

Russia had agreed to go to Kuala Lumpur for the ASEAN–Russia Summit with the clear desire to take part also in the EAS, the same desire that animated Australia, India and New Zealand. However, ASEAN, which had assumed the “driver's seat” of the EAS, could not achieve consensus on Russia's participation. In Kuala Lumpur, therefore, ASEAN, particularly the Malaysian hosts, faced an awkward situation: President Putin would be attending the first ASEAN–Russia Summit but would not be a regular participant in the first East Asia Summit the next day despite his evident eagerness to take part.

In its usual creative way, ASEAN resolved its awkward dilemma by offering a compromise in which the Russian president would address the EAS as the guest of Malaysia but not take part in its deliberations. In his speech, Putin made clear that Russia was “submitting its application to take part in the organization's (the EAS') activities” and hoping that the “EAS' founding members … will also create incentives for new partners to join”. He then stressed Russia's qualifications. Russia is “an integral part of the Asia-Pacific region” on the basis of “equal partnership and mutual benefits”. It has a wide range of long-term interests in the region. Russia has been a dialogue partner of ASEAN for almost ten years and has signed the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.