SINGAPORE, March 22. /TASS/. Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the East Asia Summit (EAS), which will be held there in November, the Russian Embassy in Singapore informed TASS on Thursday.

"On behalf of the government of Singapore, I offer my warmest congratulations on your re-election as the President of the Russian Federation," he said in his message of congratulations to the Russian leader.

"As Chair of ASEAN this year, Singapore will be hosting the 13th EAS in November. Russia is a valuable Dialogue Partner of ASEAN, and I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to attend the Summit," the prime minister noted.

He recalled that "2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Russia." "We share many common interests: Bilateral ties in areas such as trade, investment and training are growing. <…> Negotiations on the Free Trade Agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and Singapore are making progress," he added.

The East Asia Summit brings together ten ASEAN countries (Brunei, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines) along with Russia, Australia, India, China, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Japan and the United States.