BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who attended the Asean-Russia Commemorative Summit at the Kazan Expo International Exhibition Centre in Kazan, Russia on Thursday (June 18), thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for the warm welcome.
In his address at the event, he also thanked the government of the Republic of Tatarstan and the people of Kazan for the hospitality extended to the Asean leaders. He also conveyed condolences to Prime Minister of Thailand Anutin Charnvirakul on the passing of Princess Bajrakitiyabha of Thailand.
Accompanying the monarch on the trip was Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince ‘Abdul Mateen.
Reflecting on the 35-year Asean-Russia Dialogue Partnership, the Sultan said the relationship had demonstrated resilience and growing importance amid global changes, while cooperation between both sides had expanded across all three Asean Community pillars.
He noted that Asean-Russia collaboration had delivered tangible benefits and fostered stronger people-to-people ties, while contributing to shared goals of peace, security and prosperity.
As Asean advances its Vision 2045 agenda, the monarch highlighted the importance of continued cooperation with Russia in addressing global challenges, including political tensions, economic fragmentation, climate change and rapid technological developments.
The Sultan underscored that Asean-Russia cooperation remains vital in strengthening collective resilience and advancing peace, stability and prosperity, particularly in areas such as energy and food security, climate action, disaster management and non-traditional security challenges.
Emphasising the importance of human capital development, he said education, exchanges and training programmes are essential to equip future generations with the skills, knowledge and networks needed to further strengthen the partnership.
He also welcomed the adoption of the Kazan Declaration 2026, expressing confidence that Asean and Russia would continue to build on decades of trust and cooperation to navigate future challenges together.
At the conclusion of the first plenary session, four outcome documents were adopted: the Kazan Declaration 2026: Asean-Russian Federation – Unity in Diversity: 35 Years Together; the Comprehensive Plan of Action to Implement the Asean-Russian Federation Strategic Partnership (2026–2030); the Joint Statement of Asean and the Russian Federation on Energy Cooperation; and the Joint Statement of Asean and the Russian Federation on Cultural Cooperation.
The Sultan and fellow leaders later attended the second plenary session, held as a working lunch under the theme “Integration Processes in Eurasia”.
The session featured remarks from the Secretary-General of Asean, the secretary-general of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), and the chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC). Leaders also welcomed the outcome of the Asean-Russia Business Forum, held on June 17 as a side event of the commemorative summit. - Borneo Bulletin/ANN
