VIENTIANE /Laos/, October 11. /TASS/. The United States and its allies are making all possible efforts to isolate Russia and China in the Asia-Pacific region, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference following his participation in the 19th East Asia Summit.

"All practical steps of the United States and its allies [in the Asia-Pacific region] are aimed at isolating themselves from Russia, isolating themselves from China, drawing as many members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN - TASS) to their side as possible," the top diplomat emphasized.

The foreign minister pointed to the paradoxical nature of the slogan promoted by the United States about the creation of the so-called free and open Indo-Pacific region.

"Of course, there is no question of an open Indo-Pacific region in the concept that the US is now guided by," he underscored. "And when the US and its allies today unanimously reaffirmed their commitment to the central role of ASEAN in the development of cooperation in this region, they were, of course, to put it mildly, deceiving everyone, because everything they are doing is aimed at containing China and Russia," Lavrov pointed out.

According to him, "the achievement of this task includes everything that has been accumulated over many decades within the framework of the ASEAN-centric format, which was convenient for everyone, which took into account the interests of everyone". "Thus, the destructive nature of US actions in this part of the world is obvious," the top Russian diplomat concluded.