Russia set to continue military-technical cooperation with interested Asia Pacific states - Shoigu
BEIJING. Oct 30 (Interfax) - Russia is set to continue military and military-technical cooperation with interested Asia Pacific countries, including through supplying military hardware and conducting joint exercises, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum on Monday.
"We are set to continue military and military-technical cooperation with interested states, including the supply and maintenance of military hardware, personnel training, joint exercises, ship calls, and other related events," Shoigu said.
The global developments have required an adjustment of Russia's foreign political priorities, where the Asia Pacific region holds a special place, he said, adding that Russia "traditionally maintains close relations" with Asia Pacific countries due to its geographic position.
Military and military-technical cooperation with the Asia Pacific region "strictly complies with national laws and international norms and does not target third countries," he said.
Russia takes "consistent steps to enhance cooperation with Southeast Asian states, the overwhelming majority of which have not joined anti-Russian sanctions despite the harsh pressure from the United States and its satellites," Shoigu said.
A stronger practical element of work of ASEAN-centric multilateral platforms is important, Shoigu said. "Russia has made a considerable contribution to antiterrorist cooperation within the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus, ADMM Plus, in 2020-2023," he said.
A successful antiterrorist drill with military contingents from 12 ADMM Plus members took place in Russia's Far East in late September, Shoigu said.
"It involved 643 servicemen from Brunei, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Russia, Thailand and the Philippines. Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, the United States, South Korea and Japan refused to participate," Shoigu said.
He noted the readiness for "further development of the partnership as a co-chair of the ADMM Plus expert working group on humanitarian demining in 2024-2027 together with Laos."
Russia is opposed to "the attempts of the pro-Western camp in ADMM Plus to deviate from the practical focus of the mechanism and to politicize its agenda by pushing for human rights, gender and other unrelated matters," Shoigu said.
"We believe it is necessary to highlight the increasingly obvious role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization [SCO] in forming a fair multipolar world order based on the principles of common, indivisible security and respect for cultural diversity," he said.
The SCO effort "in the fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism, drug trafficking and transborder crime, as well as the provision of information security contributes to regional stability," he said.
"The Peace Mission joint military exercises held on a regular basis since 2005 help bolster the operative potential of the SCO in the fight against mounting multilevel threats and challenges," Shoigu said.