MOSCOW, April 6. /TASS/. Participants in the Russia-ASEAN Joint Cooperation Committee discussed ways to expand cooperation in politics and security, and outlined measures to deepen cooperation, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday following the committee’s 21st meeting of permanent representatives to ASEAN held in Jakarta on April 4.

"The participants discussed ways to expand Russia-ASEAN cooperation in politics and security, the economy and the socio-cultural sphere for the sake of strengthening the overall ability to respond to present-day challenges," the ministry said.

"The parties outlined concrete measures for deepening multifaceted cooperation in such areas of mutual interest as energy, digital transformation, combating infectious diseases, tourism and others. New projects in the energy, transport, ecology and agriculture sectors were presented," the Foreign Ministry said in its release.

Also on the agenda was the implementation of a comprehensive action plan for the Russia-ASEAN strategic partnership for 2021-2025. "Specific attention was paid to the prospects of launching Russia-ASEAN consultations on finance and digitalization," the ministry added.

"ASEAN partners welcomed the launch of MGIMO University's new master’s program ‘Political Economy of the Russia-ASEAN Strategic Partnership’," the ministry stressed.