No. 052-21-05-2013

PRESS-RELEASE

FIRST RUSSIA-ASEAN YOUTH SUMMIT – A SOLID CONTRIBUTION TO ASIA PACIFIC CONNECTIVITY

On 13th-14th May in Moscow, about 150 participants from Russia and Southeast Asian countries got together for the First Russia-ASEAN Youth Summit which was organized by the ASEAN Centre in MGIMO University in partnership with RIA Novosti Media Holding, and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN, the ASEAN Moscow Committee, the ASEAN Secretariat and the Russia-ASEAN Business Council. The initial idea to convene such forum was introduced by I Gede Ngurah Swajaya, Permanent Representative of Indonesia to ASEAN, in late 2012, with the key objective – to contribute to people-to-people connectivity utilizing new opportunities for networking and exchange of information between our young citizens. And they made it: after just a few months the first ever Russia-ASEAN Youth Summit was launched under the slogan "Young Russia – Young ASEAN: Dialogue for Connectivity".

Having been a meeting of students and young professionals, the Summit addressed a number of challenges that Russia and ASEAN were facing as Dialogue Partners and attempted to shape the directions of their future relationship. Special sessions were dedicated to the ways of strengthening mutual business, cultural and educational ties. A presentation on ASEAN and Russia partnership after 2015 focused on the long-term priorities of Russia and ASEAN. Among them the delegates indicated modernization and innovation, the need to enhance connectivity and the support of polycentrism in international relations.

The young participants were not just speaking among themselves. To make sure that the dialogue between generations brings continuity and dynamism to the Russia-ASEAN dialogue partnership, they were joined by their senior colleagues – government officials, ambassadors, renowned experts, journalists and businessmen from Southeast Asian countries and Russia. Among them were Igor Morgulov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Anatoly Torkunov, Rector of MGIMO, Alexander Ivanov, Ambassador at large for ASEAN Affairs, Mrs. Lim Kheng Hua, Ambassador of Singapore to Russia and Chair of the ASEAN Moscow Committee, Dato' Zainol Abidin Omar, Ambassador of Malaysia to Russia. Mikhail Galuzin, Permanent Representative of Russia to ASEAN and Larry Maramis, Director of Cross-Sectoral Cooperation of the ASEAN Secretariat spoke to the delegates via teleconference from Jakarta. The seniors encouraged the participants of the forum to think big and out of the box, thus infusing a new blood to the ASEAN-Russia partnership.

All delegates shared the sentiment that the Youth Summit would deserve a follow-up in a number of ways. First, it should be organized on a regular basis to maintain a strong sense of connectivity between Russia and ASEAN as well as a feeling of ASEAN identity among the Southeast Asian youth studying and working in Russia. Second, social networks on the Web must be actively used to keep the Summit's participants in touch, including those who wish to initiate joint research and scientific projects.

A Communique will be issued to summarize the outcomes of the ASEAN-Russia Youth Summit, the aspirations and specific suggestions of its delegates as to how the Russia-ASEAN "Dialogue for Connectivity" should be continued. In conclusion of the Summit, its emblem – a Russian traditional wooden matrioshka doll with the official ASEAN Emblem was handed over by Dr.Victor Sumsky, the Executive Director of the ASEAN Centre in MGIMO, to Ambassador I Gede Ngurah Swajaya with the request to deliver it to the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta.