YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, October 7. /TASS/. Moscow aims to foster cooperation with foreign partners, including Eurasian and Asia-Pacific countries, in order to bolster environmental security, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.
"Russia firmly adheres to the expansion of mutually respectful and beneficial cooperation in the interests of boosting environmental security based on the principles of international law. We think that only such an approach is capable of ensuring sustainable development in harmony with nature and helps find new points of contact with foreign partners, including in the Asia-Pacific region, the development of relations with the countries [in this region] being among the unquestionable priorities of our foreign policy," he said in a video address to the participants of the international inter-party forum on environmental policy and sustainable growth.
As Lavrov noted, ecological issues have been firmly on the agenda of Eurasia’s leading multilateral unions including such subjects as climate issues, reducing human impact on the environment and the risks of man-made accidents. "In particular, interaction in this direction has a prominent place in the activity of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Following the recent SCO summit in Samarkand, a joint statement was approved on reacting to climate change. The document enshrined the joint aspiration of member states to promote the modernization of industrial infrastructure in order to reduce greenhouse emissions and confirmed their readiness to widen cooperation in the spheres of resource-conserving, energy-efficient, low-carbon technologies and the development of a training system for specialists in the climate sphere," he explained.
The Russian top diplomat noted that partners from ASEAN display great interest in cultivating cooperation with Moscow on environmental issues. "A solid foundation for its further expansion is a comprehensive plan of action on implementing a strategic partnership in 2021-2025 approved by the leaders of Russia and ‘the Group of Ten’ last year. Environment-oriented topics play a substantial part in the Russia-ASEAN joint project activity which encompasses, among other things, the issues of sewage treatment and the protection of the Greater Mekong’s ecosystem," he said.
According to him, the Russian side gladly shares its cutting-edge experience and technologies with its partners. Lavrov noted that a number of scientific and technical cooperational events between Russia and ASEAN are also dedicated to ecology.
The Russian foreign minister added that interaction on these issues is also on the agenda of East Asia Summits (EAS) being closely intertwined with energy diplomacy. "Currently, with Russia’s active participation, another five-year plan of action within the framework of the EAS is being prepared where these issues are given special attention," he concluded.