SOCHI, May 18. /TASS/. Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak has arrived in Sochi for the Russia-ASEAN summit, due on May 19-20. On Thursday, he is to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the conference.
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov has said the meeting’s agenda includes deeper trading and economic cooperation, investment projects in the energy industry, wider military-technical cooperation and cultural and humanitarian ties. Putin and Razak will also discuss cooperation in nuclear power.
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"Russia is prepared to offer its experience and cutting edge technologies in the nuclear power industry. The Russian nuclear power concern Rosatom has established contacts with Malaysia’s nuclear power agency and nuclear power corporation," Ushakov said.
Malaysia’s ambassador in Moscow Hayati Binti Ismail earlier told TASS that her country hoped for tighter cooperation with Russia within the ASEAN group.
"Taking into account of the establishment of the ASEAN Community, it is envisaged that ASEAN will continue to deepen its economic integration. In this context, ASEAN hopes that Russia will try to capitalise the opportunities available in ASEAN further. Malaysia hopes that we can undertake several initiatives to promote closer economic engagement such as through the exchange of business visits, convening of business seminars, trade fairs and language courses."
She is certain that the upcoming "will present a perfect opportunity for ASEAN and Russia to further strengthen this relationship."
The Russia-ASEAN summit will be held in Sochi on May 19-20 and will become the biggest international event in Russia in 2016. The summit will be held under the slogan "Towards Strategic Partnership for the Sake of the Common Good."
The summit is expected to adopt a declaration that will lay the basis for an action plan of Russia-ASEAN cooperation in the political, economic and cultural spheres, as well as in the sphere of security.
Russia has been a dialog partner of ASEAN since July 1996. Similar partnership summits are normally held on the territory of member-states and the choice of Sochi as venue for the Russia-ASEAN summit on the partnership’s 20th anniversary is symbolic.