Meeting
with representatives of the Russia-ASEAN Business Forum
Vladimir Putin took
part in a meeting of heads of delegations
at the Russia-ASEAN summit with Business Forum representatives.
May
20, 2016
13:25
Sochi
President
of Russia Vladimir Putin:
Ladies and gentlemen, friends, colleagues,
heads of state and government, it is a pleasure to welcome
you all.
The official
part of the summit’s programme is beginning now and it is not
by chance that the first event is this meeting with business
community representatives from Russia and the ASEAN countries. This
highlights yet further the priority we place on developing trade
and economic cooperation between Russia and the ASEAN countries.
Our common task is
to bring our economies closer together, strengthen trade
and investment ties, and create the conditions needed
for launching new projects. We are working in close dialogue with
the business community on this and will continue to do so.
I note that
trade between Russia and the ASEAN countries came to $13.7
billion last year. This is quite a modest figure compared to trade
with other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The ASEAN
countries’ trade with China comes to $80 billion, for example,
and Russia’s bilateral trade with China comes to a similar
figure.
The current
level of investment cooperation also falls short of our potential. We
have total investment of around $11 billion. It is therefore important
to reflect together on what we can do to improve this situation
and outline a consistent road forward for developing our
business cooperation.
We should not
forget that we have accumulated considerable experience in carrying out
bilateral joint projects. Thai companies are investing in Russia’s
agricultural sector, for example, Vietnamese companies in oil
and gas production, and companies from Singapore and Brunei have
been investing in innovation.
Russian business
has been investing in mining ventures in Indonesia and Myanmar.
We are working in peaceful nuclear energy development in Vietnam
and plan to do the same in Laos, and are investing
in the high-tech sector in Malaysia, to name a few
examples.
I am sure that
we have all we need to give a new boost to our business ties.
Russia has drawn up a roadmap that encompasses 57 concrete projects aimed
at establishing joint technology and innovation alliances.
We can boost our
fuel and energy cooperation to next level. ASEAN countries’ needs
for hydrocarbon resources as well as electricity are growing.
Russia can satisfy this growing demand by supplying energy
on a long-term basis. We can offer our partners new-generation
nuclear power plant projects. We are willing to cooperate
in the sphere of power generation in the broad meaning
of the word.
Our cooperation
in transportation looks promising. Russian businesses are interested
in participating in modern railway construction projects, which we
are already doing in Indonesia, where a $1.9 billion railway project
is currently being implemented in Kalimantan.
Modern satellite
navigation systems are the call of the times. We suggest doing
this on the basis of the Russian GLONASS satellite
navigation system.
Russia is also
willing to join any development initiative in ASEAN. I am
referring above all to our assistance in the implementation
of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity, which stipulates
the development of energy, transportation and information
infrastructure in the region.
At the same
time, we invite ASEAN businesses to take part in our priority
development programmes in the Russian Far East. We have created 12
areas with a favourable business environment and the free port
of Vladivostok. In addition, we are modernising
the Trans-Siberian Railway, a large railway system connecting
European Russia with the Far East and, by default, with Asia. We have
launched a large-scale programme for the development
of the Northern Sea Route, which is the shortest commercial
route from Asia to Europe.
We have been
working to create the most attractive conditions for doing
business, cutting red tape, lowering the tax burden and monitoring
the investment climate in Russia’s constituent entities. This helped
us move up from 120th to 51st place
on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index last year.
I would like
to say that our economy has remained stable in an unfavourable
external situation. In this connection, I want to say that
the Government’s anti-crisis measures have helped stabilise the key
sectors of our economy and our financial market.
We have also maintained
a low unemployment level (less than 6 percent), moderate foreign debt,
which is one of the lowest in the world,
and a trade balance surplus of $160 billion in 2015.
The Bank
of Russia’s decision to introduce a flexible ruble rate has
allowed our economy to adjust to new conditions
and to maintain a high level of gold and currency
reserves, which totalled about $391.5 billion as of May 1.
As a result, we reached the bottom of the crisis
in 2015, something the experts agree on.
Additional
May 19, 2016
Colleagues,
the role of regional integration associations in the global
economy has been increasing. The Eurasian Economic Union, where Russia is
a member, and ASEAN have created common rules for the free
movement of goods, services, capital and manpower.
The Eurasian
Economic Union’s regulations are based on the World Trade
Organisation’s rules. The EAEU is a huge market with 180 million
consumers, a market that has been duly assessed by our Vietnamese
friends with whom we have signed a free trade area agreement. Interest
in this cooperation has also been shown by Singapore, with whose
Prime Minister we discussed this issue yesterday, as well
as by other ASEAN countries such as Thailand, Cambodia
and Indonesia.
I believe we
can eventually create a common free trade zone between the EAEU
and ASEAN. This could be our contribution to the development
of an Asia-Pacific free trade zone. Of course, we will discuss
this idea with our EAEU colleagues, in particular Kazakhstan, Belarus,
Kyrgyzstan and Armenia.
Another promising
sphere of regional economic integration could be the coordination
of the EAEU, ASEAN, the SCO and China’s Silk Road Economic
Belt project.
I am convinced
that our business communities will continue to contribute
to the development of multifaceted Russia-ASEAN economic
cooperation. In this connection I would like to invite everyone
here to the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, which will be
held on June 16–18, and also to the Eastern Economic
Forum, which Vladivostok will host on September 2–3.
Colleagues, thank
you for your attention. I hope you establish interesting contacts, ones
that will be beneficial and useful for the development
of your businesses.
Thank you
for your attention. I am happy to pass the floor
to Prime Minister of Laos Mr Sisoulith, current chair of ASEAN
and coordinator of the Russia-ASEAN Dialogue Partnership.
Thank you
for your attention.
<…>
Vladimir Putin:
Friends, colleagues,
We have gathered
here today to mark the 20th anniversary
of the Russia-ASEAN Dialogue Partnership. We have 20 years
of cooperation behind us. Still, we all remember that Russia and many
ASEAN countries have much deeper ties that go back to the more
distant past. This is a very good framework for developing relations
on a modern footing.
We are also very
enthusiastic about our partnership with other member states, with which neither
the Soviet Union nor Russia perhaps has ever had close relations before.
Let me assure you
that we have an interest in improving our relations and will do
whatever is necessary – I am now mainly addressing the business
community – to create conditions for our cooperation both
in Russian and ASEAN markets.
I cannot but
support the representatives of businesses who spoke before me
in saying that (and I mentioned it in my opening
remarks), certainly, we must think about expanding our partnership
and must not limit ourselves to the state borders of Russia
and ASEAN. We must consider global events and what is happening
in the Asia-Pacific. All the positive aspects
of integration that are capable of expanding your business
opportunities – which, in turn, means the expansion
of opportunities for us as representatives of the state –
will be employed to benefit economic development and, therefore,
the citizens of our governments.
Thank you very much.
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