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ASEAN Day in Russia tightens bloc’s unity

The embassies of the 10 ASEAN member states in Russia held an ASEAN Day in Moscow on October 31 with the aim of consolidating the bloc’s unity.
The embassies of the 10 ASEAN member states in Russia held an ASEAN Dayin Moscow on October 31 with the aim of consolidating the bloc’s unity.

Bruneian Ambassador Haini Hashim, who iscurrently Chairman of the ASEAN Committee in Russia for a six-monthtenure, affirmed the major role of ASEAN in building and developing apeaceful and stable Southeast Asian region.

2014marks 10 years since the bloc and Russia signed a Partnership andCooperation Agreement, he said, adding that the two sides havecontinuously developed the mutually-benefited relationship in suchfields as culture, science, education, tourism and economics.

Over the past five years, two-way trade enjoyed a three-foldincrease, from 6.8 billion USD in 2009 to nearly 20 billion USD in 2013.Russia’s direct investment in ASEAN rose fourfold, from 140 million USDto 542 million USD.-VNA
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