Lavrov to Arrive in Laos to Discuss Cooperation With ASEAN, Meet Kerry

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — This week, Vientiane will become a platform for a number of key events, which will bring together the foreign ministers of the 10 countries that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as their dialogue partners.

Cooperation With ASEAN

During a Russia-ASEAN ministerial meeting, which will be held on Monday, the sides will focus on the implementation of the goals agreed during a similar meeting in the Russian resort city of Sochi in May, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

The sides will agree on concrete steps in political, economic and humanitarian spheres, which will help propel the bilateral relations to the level of strategic partnership. The Russian side will prioritize development of economic ties with ASEAN countries, enhancing bilateral trade and investment and development of regional infrastructure.

The agenda of the meeting will also include a discussion on regional and international issues.

On Tuesday, Lavrov will take part in the sixth East Asia Summit (EAS) foreign ministers meeting. The EAS is a major platform for the Pacific Rim countries to discuss the strategic issues of the region’s development. The EAS comprises 10 ASEAN states, as well as their dialogue partners – Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the United States

The EAS foreign ministers are set to determine the agenda for the upcoming EAS summit, which will be held in Laos in September.

Later that day, the 23rd session of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) is set to be held. The Forum comprises 27 countries including 10 ASEAN member states and the 10 ASEAN dialogue partners.

"The ministers will also exchange views on urgent global and regional issues, including the Korean peninsula, Middle East, Afghanistan," Zakharova said.

Meeting With Kerry

On Tuesday, Lavrov will hold a meeting with his counterpart Kerry. Their previous meeting in Moscow on July 15 concluded with the sides agreeing on specific steps to end fighting in Syria.

Earlier this month, Kerry said that during his planned meeting with Lavrov the two sides are set to discuss the issues of strengthening the Russia-US-brokered ceasefire in Syria, as well as the resumption of negotiations on a political transition in the country.

According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, Russia still expects from US partners "more active steps in this sphere which would finally allow to coordinate efforts in fight against the Islamic State [Daesh, banned in Russia] and the al-Nusra Front and simultaneously create preconditions to continue negotiations in Geneva under the mediation of [UN Special Envoy for Syria] Staffan de Mistura."

According to Ryabkov, during the upcoming meeting, Lavrov may express protest over the recent arrest of a Russian citizen in Thailand at the US request.

Russian citizen Dmitry Ukrainsky, who was arrested last Thursday, is wanted by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on suspicion of credit card fraud. Meanwhile, the Russian side has not received any response from Bangkok regarding the detention.