At various times, Russia has signed trade agreements and related documents with almost all ASEAN countries (except Brunei) on various aspects of bilateral economic relations (for example, on the promotion and mutual protection of investment, on the avoidance of double taxation, etc.), agreements on scientific, technical and cultural cooperation, and with some countries in the region (Vietnam Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand) - agreements (memoranda) on the basics of military-technical cooperation, providing for the creation of relevant joint commissions. Almost all countries have also signed agreements on cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking. Some ASEAN countries have established and actively develop direct economic ties with the Russian regions of Siberia and the Far East.

In general, if we evaluate the state of bilateral cooperation between Russia and the ASEAN countries, we can say that its potential is not fully used. The trade turnover between Russia and individual countries in the region ranges from tens to several hundred million US dollars. This situation, of course, does not suit the Russian side. Difficulties with the penetration of our goods (except raw materials) to Western markets due to fierce competition objectively force Russian industrialists and entrepreneurs to turn their faces to the east and, in particular, to establish broader economic ties not only with the economic" heavyweights " in the Asia-Pacific region (China, Japan, the Republic of Korea), but also with other countries ASEAN. At the same time, it should be taken into account that the Asia-Pacific region is currently one of the most dynamically developing regions in the world, and, consequently, the development of Russia's economic relations with the ASEAN countries will bring it undoubted benefits.

In recent years, active measures have been taken to intensify Russia's economic cooperation with the ASEAN countries. This is evidenced by numerous facts. We will point out just a few of them.

Thus, during the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Vietnam in 2001, both sides noted that the level of economic relations between Russia and Vietnam currently does not satisfy them and that a number of measures will be taken in the near future to significantly expand this cooperation. The Declaration on Strategic Partnership between the Russian Federation and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam signed at that time marked a new stage in the development of Russia's bilateral relations with the ASEAN countries. The Declaration defines the main directions of long-term cooperation between the two countries, and it was the first such document concluded by Russia with one of the countries of the region.

During the official visit of Indonesian President M. Sukarnoputri to Moscow in April 2003, the two heads of State stressed that Russia and Indonesia have good and great opportunities for enhancing bilateral cooperation in the political, trade, economic, technological and military-technical fields. The two sides agreed that it was time to take their relationship to a higher level. This is reflected in the signed Declaration on the Foundations of Friendly and Partnership Relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Indonesia in the Twenty - first Century, a political document that aims to define long-term relations between our states ^.1

In August 2003, Russian President Vladimir Putin paid an official visit to Malaysia, during which it was stated that "over the past ten years, our trade and economic relations have not only developed rapidly. The main thing is that they changed both qualitatively and structurally. As a result, in terms of trade turnover growth, Russia began to occupy the second place in the Malaysian market, after Japan."²

In October 2003, the first state visit of the President of the Russian Federation to Thailand in the history of bilateral relations took place. Noting the fact that Russian-Thai relations have recently developed in an upward direction, have acquired a new quality and are reaching the level of strategic partnership, the leaders of both countries stressed that the volume of their trade and economic ties does not correspond to the capabilities of the parties. Therefore, following the summit meetings held in Bangkok in the field of bilateral trade, a specific task was set - to increase its volume to 1.5 billion US dollars per ^{year3 .}

Even in such countries of the region as Myanmar, for example, with which Russia has had virtually no cooperation in recent decades, mutual interest in developing trade and economic ties is noticeably growing. The Second Secretary of the State Council of Myanmar, the Ministers of Industry, Agriculture and Irrigation, Railway Transport, and Health visited Russia.

Ending. For the beginning, see "Asia and Africa Today", 2004, N 11.

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In turn, a number of delegations from Russian ministries and organizations, as well as representatives of private businesses, visited Myanmar. Memoranda and protocols were signed defining the directions of cooperation development in various fields. In the mid-1990s, 13 civilian helicopters were delivered to Myanmar, and an agreement in principle was reached on cooperation in the construction and operation of a nuclear research center.

However, while noting the positive changes in Russia's policy towards the ASEAN countries, it should be noted that the volume of bilateral trade with them is not comparable even in the roughest approximation (if all factors are taken into account, for example, the economic potential, population, needs of a particular country, etc.) with Russia's trade turnover not only with Western countries, or the economic leaders of the East (Japan, China, India, the Republic of Korea), but also with less economically developed countries, such as, for example, Cuba.

Assessing the overall state of Russia's bilateral relations with the countries of the region, we can note that they are most fully developing with such countries as Thailand (trade turnover is about 800 million US dollars), Vietnam (651 million), Malaysia (575 million), Singapore (508 million), as well as the Philippines (300 million) and Indonesia (250 million)⁴ . Trade and economic relations with Laos and Cambodia are poorly developed, and the trade turnover with each of them does not exceed one and a half dozen billion dollars a year. As mentioned above, there is practically no trade and economic cooperation with Myanmar, as well as with Brunei.

Let's look at how Russia's economic cooperation with specific ASEAN countries is developing.

Thailand is the first partner of Russia among the ASEAN countries in terms of the achieved trade volume. Russia supplies the Thai market with rolled ferrous metals, metal products, fertilizers, and raw minerals. The bulk of Russian imports from Thailand are sugar, air conditioners, natural rubber, and clothing products. More than a dozen joint ventures and representative offices of various Russian companies operate in Thailand. In particular, there is a joint maritime company "TASOS", a trade and investment company "ASPAK", a tourist company "Aeroglobal".

There are great prospects for bilateral cooperation in the scientific and technological sphere, as well as in the field of space technologies. The Thai side is interested in establishing cooperation in the field of biomedicine and biotechnology, ecology, and the use of alternative energy sources.

Vietnam. After the summit meetings in 2001, the trade turnover between Russia and Vietnam increased more than 1.5 times (from $ 420 million in 2000 to $ 651.3 million in 2003).

Russia (excluding investments in the Vietnam-Russia joint venture Vietsovpetro) ranks 9th in the list of countries that invest in the economy of Vietnam with a total investment of more than $ 1.5 billion. With Russian technical assistance, about 300 facilities have been built in various sectors of Vietnam's national economy, including the Hao Banh hydroelectric complex, the largest in Southeast Asia.

The largest project of the two countries in the oil industry was the formation in 1981 of the joint Vietnamese-Russian oil production enterprise Vietsovpetro, which provides up to 80% of all oil produced in Vietnam. The initial investment of $ 1.5 billion in the development of the White Tiger field has already paid off, and the parties are making a profit. In 2003, it produced 13.1 million tons ^of oil5 . Today Vietsovpetro ranks among the top ten leading oil companies in the world in terms of economic efficiency.

As part of the Vietgazprom joint operating company, preparatory work has been carried out at the offshore gas field in the Gulf of Tonkin for the start of well drilling.

During Vladimir Putin's visit to Vietnam in March 2001, two Russian-Vietnamese agreements on cooperation in the construction of power plants were signed. One of them provides for the construction of the Kamfa thermal power plant on the coast of Vietnam, the other-the Pleikrong hydroelectric power plant. The cost of the first is $ 300 million, the second - $ 150 million. Negotiations are also underway on Russia's participation in the construction of the $ 100 million Nazyong thermal power plant, for which a tender has been announced.

The electric power industry, agro-industrial complex, shipbuilding, mechanical engineering and transport can also become promising areas for the development of Russian-Vietnamese economic cooperation.

In recent years, there has been a tendency to intensify military-technical cooperation between the two countries. The beginning of a new stage in the development of these relations was laid during the official visit of the President of Vietnam to Russia in August 1998. During this visit, along with the problems of economic cooperation, the prospects for Russian-Vietnamese military-technical cooperation were also discussed. At the same time, a joint statement following the visit says that military-technical cooperation between Russia and Vietnam "is not directed against third countries and does not undermine the regional balance of power."

In October 1998, Vietnam was visited by the Russian Defense Minister, who highly appreciated the prospects for cooperation in the military-technical sphere between the Russian Federation and Vietnam. During the visit, a package of bilateral documents in this area was signed, including an agreement on Vietnam's purchase of 24 Su-27 fighter jets worth $ 1 billion. This agreement, which is designed for five years with the possibility of extension, is preliminary in nature and is not related to specific programs. Earlier, in 1995, Vietnam purchased the first batch of six Su-27s from Russia for $ 150 million, and after that Hanoi purchased the second batch of six Su-27s. According to experts from both countries, the supply of new aircraft and the modernization of existing ones will significantly expand the capabilities of the Vietnamese Air Force.

In general, assessing the state and level of modern military-technical cooperation between Russia and Vietnam, Vladimir Putin said that "cooperation will develop as much as our Vietnamese partners want. Vietnam wants and can receive the latest equipment

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it is no worse than other countries of the world that trade and interact in this area in a completely legal mode. And in cooperation with Russia, Vietnam can count on receiving the latest weapons."

Malaysia. The trade turnover between Russia and Malaysia is constantly growing. Thus, in 2000 it amounted to $ 293.8 million, in 2001 - $ 420 million, and in 2002 - $ 575 million. Trade boils down to an impressive positive balance in favor of Russia. Exports are dominated by chemical fertilizers and other chemical goods (35%), metals and metal products (27%), machinery and equipment, mainly spare parts and replacement equipment for aircraft (15.5%). Imports include household electronic and electrical equipment, palm oil and its processed products ⁶ . It should be noted that Malaysia accounts for 24% of the world's production of consumer electronics and electrical equipment. Therefore, it is a good partner in the field of high technologies.

Large reserves for mutually beneficial cooperation exist in the field of science and industrial cooperation, in particular, in the aerospace sector, biotechnology, membrane technology, telecommunications and information technologies as part of Russia's involvement in the implementation of the Malaysian Multimedia Super Corridor project, in the exploration and production of minerals, and in the field of transport. Malaysia has already launched the Tiung Sat-1 spacecraft with the help of a Russian launch vehicle and is currently discussing the issue of continuing cooperation in this area, including using Russian mobile launch complexes (Malaysia is located almost at the equator and this is a very convenient place for such activities). As Vladimir Putin said in an interview with the Malaysian newspaper New Straits Times: "... we are planning a number of good deals, and we are not just talking about military equipment and military aircraft. We may also be talking about civil aviation, but in any case, we want to take the first steps in the field of cooperation in helicopter technology. We have a lot to talk about in the field of joint space exploration. We are currently studying the possibility of organizing a flight of a Malaysian cosmonaut. We have a lot to talk about in the field of joint work in the field of energy, technology that is used in this area. " ⁷

Cooperation between Russia and Malaysia in the military-technical sphere is developing quite well. In 2003, a major contract was signed for the supply of Russian SU-30MKM aircraft to Malaysia, worth about $ 1 billion. There is a Russian-Malaysian joint commission on military-technical cooperation, within the framework of which a joint working group on cooperation in the defense industry has been formed. The Russian side regularly takes part in the exhibitions of marine and aviation equipment "LIMA" and "Defense Systems of Asia"held in Malaysia. Russian companies MiG and Rosoboronexport have been operating representative offices in Kuala Lumpur since 1996.

Singapore. In general, the leadership of the Russian Federation is satisfied with the smooth nature of relations with Singapore. However, it believes that the potential of bilateral cooperation is not fully exploited. Therefore, during the visit of Singapore's Foreign Minister to Moscow in September 2003, Sh. The parties outlined priority steps to make Russian-Singaporean cooperation more dynamic.

Currently, in addition to the Embassy in Singapore, there is a trade representative office, a representative office of the Maritime Register, and a regional representative office of Aeroflot. In addition, a number of companies and joint ventures representing Russian businesses continue to operate in Singapore. Among them are Agrosin, which carries out wholesale export-import operations with fertilizers and chemical products, Moscow Halyk Bank, which finances the foreign trade activities of Russian companies with Southeast Asian countries, GOST-Asia, which certifies goods intended for export to Russia, and some others. Several dozen joint ventures with Singapore capital are registered in the Russian Federation.

Singapore's business community is developing cooperation with the regions of the Volga region, Siberia and the Far East. The Singapore Trade Development Board has a significant role to play in this area

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(SRTS), which already has representative offices in Moscow and Khabarovsk. It is also planned to open a representative office of the SRTS in St. Petersburg. Representatives of Tatarstan, Krasnoyarsk and Khabarovsk territories, Chita and Sverdlovsk regions visited Singapore for business purposes.

Philippines. Russia's economic cooperation with the Philippines is developing at a slower pace than with the above-mentioned ASEAN countries. Steel products account for over 95% of Russian exports. Mineral fertilizers, soybeans, and beans are also supplied. The main items of import are ready-made clothing, activated carbon, bananas, tobacco products.

A number of joint ventures operate in Manila, including the Filsov Joint Shipping Company, which has been operating since 1974 and provides agency services for Russian vessels. Currently, projects in the field of energy and laser medicine are being discussed. Taking into account the implementation of a number of major investment projects in the Philippines, such as improving irrigation systems, it is possible for the Russian side to participate in tenders.

Indonesia. Russia's traditionally friendly relations with Indonesia have recently been filled with new high-quality content. An important milestone in their further progressive development may be the visit of Indonesian President M. Sukarnoputri to Moscow in April 2003. The Heads of State unequivocally supported the expansion of trade, economic, investment, technological and other cooperation.

Bilateral cooperation with Indonesia is developing in various areas. In addition to traditional Russian exports (ferrous and non-ferrous metals, mineral fertilizers, chemical products), cooperation in the aerospace sector is being established. Thus, on February 12, 2000, the Indonesian communication satellite Garuda-1 was launched by a Russian launch vehicle. In addition, a number of bilateral agreements on other specific areas of cooperation were signed in April 2003. Among them is the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Indonesia on Military-technical cooperation, which has a framework character and defines the forms of bilateral cooperation, in particular, the rules and principles for the use, transfer, and modernization of military equipment, equipment, and technologies.

Two banking agreements were also signed - on cooperation between Vnesheconombank and Bank Mandiri, between Vnesheconombank, the Russian Export-Import Bank and Bank Mandiri, as well as a Memorandum between Rosaviakosmos and the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space of Indonesia on the intention to establish cooperation in the field of space technologies and their applications.

Laos and Cambodia. Russia's economic relations with these countries are at a low level and, as a rule, are of a one-time nature. The main supplies from Russia are: aircraft and spare parts, equipment for diesel power plants, trucks, as well as pulp and paper products. Russia's imports from these countries are mainly made up of sewing products and woodworking products. Joint ventures such as Bo-Baikal (tin concentrate production)are successfully operating in Laos, "Laro" (production of planed veneer), " Roslao "(extraction and sorting of gravel). In Cambodia, Russian Diesel has established direct deliveries of spare parts and equipment for diesel power plants; in 2003, the Russian company Traktoro-Export delivered road construction equipment worth $ 1.2 million, and KAMAZ - 100 trucks. The Russian leadership declares that Russia fully retains its interest in developing the entire range of relations with Laos and Cambodia and hopes to continue constructive and mutually beneficial cooperation.

Russia's trade and economic cooperation with Myanmar and Brunei is almost negligible. Official contacts are mainly limited to the interaction of the Foreign Ministries of the two countries.

As already mentioned, the Asia-Pacific region occupies an important place in Russia's foreign policy priorities. Therefore, when considering the state of Russia's bilateral relations with the ASEAN countries in the political sphere, it should be noted that it has developed friendly relations with almost all the countries of the Association. Moreover, mutual consultations on many important aspects of international policy are now converging, or at least converging, in their views. This is evident in the attitude to the problems of the multipolarity of the world, and in solving security problems in the region, and in understanding the need to expand economic ties, and in such more specific issues as, for example, the attitude to the disarmament processes, to the creation of NDS, the situation in Afghanistan and others.

Summing up the above, it can be stated that recently Russia has been increasingly involved in solving the problems of the Asia-Pacific region as a whole, as well as the problems specifically facing the ASEAN countries in the political sphere and in ensuring international security, which is duly appreciated by the states of the region. Volume of economic cooperation between Russia and the Association countries (although it is becoming more dynamic at the beginning of the new century) still far from possible. But the interest of all parties in its resolution allows us to hope for positive changes in this area.

¹ Statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the press at the end of talks with Indonesian President M. Sukarnoputri, president.kremlin.ru, 21.04.03.

² Russian President Vladimir Putin's speech at the Russian-Malaysian Business Forum, president.kremlin.ru, 05.08.03.

³ Interview of the Russian Ambassador to Thailand Ye. Ostrovenko. RIA Novosti, materials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation No. 162 of 30.01.04.

⁴ Figures are given according to the data of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation for 2001-2004.

⁵ Materials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation No. 1057 of 14.05.04.

⁶ Materials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation dated 05.08.03.

⁷ Interview of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Malaysian newspaper "New Straits Times", president.kremlin.ru, 03.07.03.

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