MOSCOW, January 18. /TASS/. Washington is trying to divide the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday.

"The Americans show no hesitation in saying that five out of the ten ASEAN members are ready to follow our path, while the other five are not. It is a clear attempt to split ASEAN, which has not been unsuccessful. Internal tensions inside ASEAN are building up," Lavrov stated at a press conference on the results of Russia’s diplomatic activities in 2022.

He pointed out that "for the first time in ASEAN’s history, Myanmar has been barred from taking part in summits."

At the same time, the Russian top diplomat noted that "everyone has always recognized ASEAN’s core role in economic and security processes, political dialogue and humanitarian cooperation.".