✍️ Article by Ambassador of Russia to ASEAN Evgeny Zagaynov "ASEAN-Russia Summit: A case for strategic autonomy" published in The Jakarta Post (7 July 2026)

Key points:

🔹️ Against the backdrop of growing geopolitical turbulence, ASEAN continues to demonstrate its ability to preserve strategic autonomy while strengthening its role as one of the key centres of the emerging multipolar world.

🔹️The ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit in Kazan reaffirmed the parties' common aspiration towards a just multipolar world, as well as underscored the unwavering support to ASEAN Centrality and articulated the shared vision of a peaceful, stable and secure future of the wider Asia-Pacific, the Indian Ocean and Eurasia region.

🔹️ The Summit resulted in the adoption of the Kazan Declaration, the Comprehensive Plan of Action 2026-2030, and the Joint Statements on Energy and Cultural Cooperation, providing a roadmap for expanding practical cooperation in both traditional and emerging areas.

🔹️President Vladimir Putin emphasized in Kazan: “Russia sincerely strives to build a multidimensional and truly strategic partnership with the states of the Southeast Asia, and we see the same commitment – to work together, hand in hand – reflected among our ASEAN partners”.

🔹️ Attempts by some pro-Western commentators to criticise ASEAN Member States for participating in the Summit reflect a mistaken assumption that Southeast Asian countries require external guidance or approval in conducting their foreign policy.

🔹️Russia has always consistently respected and supported ASEAN Member States sovereignty and their right to make foreign policy decisions free from external influence. ASEAN nations are fully aware of the geopolitical realities in different parts of the world, and their decisions do not stem from ignorance or immaturity, they result from a strategic vision.

🔹️ASEAN engagement with Russia should be seen through the prism of its own interests rather than from the perspective of some outside expectations.

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