MOSCOW, July 11. /TASS/. Russia is calling for starting consultations on the use of national currencies in mutual payments with ASEAN countries, including Indonesia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the Indonesian newspaper Kompas.

"Consultations on using national currencies in mutual transactions would meet the interests of practical cooperation between Russia and ASEAN countries, including Indonesia," he said. "We are ready for practical work in this and all other areas I mentioned."

Lavrov said Russia has what to offer the countries of the Asia-Pacific Region and the Indian Ocean.

"Russia is one of the world’s leading suppliers of food, oil, gas and precious minerals, including rare-earth metals. The majority of Russian agricultural exports (60%) goes to Asian countries. Over the past year, our foreign trade with many international partners, including Asian countries, grew multiple times," he said.

The minister also said Russia has achieved impressive results in developing a cluster of high-tech production.

"Our country is among the world’s top 10 in digitalization of government services, scientific achievements and inventions in robotics, quantum technology, artificial intelligence and smart cities. ASEAN epidemiologists learned about our practices on countering infectious diseases during a three-year program of upgrading courses, which was completed in late 2022," he said.