Lavrov to participate in East Asia Summit meeting in Laos

On Saturday morning, Lao Prime Minister Sonsay Siphandone received the heads of the participating delegations, and Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Salmsai Kommasset delivered a welcoming speech at the opening of the ministerial meeting.

Also in the meeting room is US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who had previously postponed his trip to the Asia-Pacific region due to a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Sitting between Lavrov and Blinken are representatives of South Korea and Singapore.

The East Asia Summit was established in 2005 as a platform for strategic dialogue among Asia-Pacific leaders on pressing issues related to ensuring security, economic growth and enhancing cooperation.

The ASEAN countries – Brunei, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines – as well as the dialogue partners – Russia, Australia, India, China, New Zealand, South Korea, the United States and Japan – are participating in the forum. This year, as last year, Timor-Leste has been invited to the East Asia Summit as a candidate country for ASEAN membership.

Lavrov is visiting Laos from July 25 to 27, and held several bilateral meetings on Thursday, before participating in a meeting of foreign ministers in the “Russia-ASEAN” format on Friday. The minister is also expected to attend the ASEAN Regional Security Forum on Saturday.

Source: TASS