Russian Foreign Minister to take part in Ninth Session of ASEAN Regional Security Forum

Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Ivanov on Wednesday will take part in the work of the Ninth Session of the ASEAN Regional Security Forum in Brunei.

Apart from the ASEAN member-countries, the Forum participants include Russia, the United States, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea and also the European Union.

In a RIA Novosti interview official spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alexander Yakovenko said that this Forum was unique and was now the only mechanism for the inter-governmental dialogue on the key aspects of life in the countries of the Asia-Pacific region." The agenda of the Forum covers a broad range of issues, including forms and methods of the fight against specific threats: terrorism, piracy, drug business, organised crime, as well as problems of ensuring general regional stability, and urgent international issues. This year, anti-terrorist themes occupy an important place in the Forum's agenda. For the Brunei session the Forum has prepared its Declaration on financial measures to counter terrorism and a set of anti-terrorist recommendations to the Forum's participants.

At the present time, the Russian side, jointly with the ASEAN, is drafting a Declaration on guiding principles of relations in the Asia-Pacific Region - the Pacific Accord. This document is a kind of all-regional code of behaviour, the adoption of which will contribute to the consolidation of efforts by some countries in combating the existing threats to security.

On August 1, the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs is to represent Russia at the post-ministerial conferences in the formats of the ASEAN plus 10 /the dialogue of the ASEAN with all the partner countries/ and the ASEAN plus 1 /the ASEAN-Russia bilateral dialogue/. Igor Ivanov also intends to conduct bilateral meetings with the American Secretary of State, and the Foreign Ministers of Japan, China, India, Thailand and Vietnam.

On Wednesday, Igor Ivanov will meet US Secretary of State Colin Powell. According to the Russian Foreign Minister, it is envisaged to discuss the problem of an inter-Korean settlement and the situation concerning Kashmir. In particular, Igor Ivanov will inform Colin Powell about the results of his negotiations in Pyongyang with PDRK leader Kim Jong-il.