Asia-Pacific top foreign policy priority, says Russian minister

THE Asia-Pacific region has become a top foreign policy priority for Russia as it seeks to build regional security through further trade and investment liberalisation to forge economic integration.

Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov while delivering a lecture on Russian foreign policy at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) yesterday, said Russia's first priority is to assume an active participation in building the "regional architecture of security and cooperation".

Lavrov, who is on a two-day visit to the Sultanate as part of a working tour around the Asia Pacific region, underscored the importance of the East Asian Summit in charting a path towards a more secure regional order.

He added: "Special attention" will be given to it as it offers a "natural format for developing a holistic concept of transformation of the regional order and establishing a new security architecture in East Asia".

"We focus our attention on the promotion of trade and economic ties with the Asia-Pacific region states," Lavrov told an audience comprising students and staff of UBD, foreign dignitaries and government representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

In promoting the liberalisation of trade and investment activities, he said Russia invites partners to carry out large-scale projects in the Far East and Siberia regions.

Also, Russia will be placing emphasis on establishing "modernisation alliances" on the basis of innovations in high-added-value economic sectors, Lavrov said, adding high technologies and outer space activities as examples.

Other key priority areas highlighted were: cooperation for innovative growth, improvement of transport and logistics systems, and strengthening food security.

The Brunei Times