ASEAN and Russia Agree to Strengthen Connectivity between ASEAN and EAEU
According to Vietnam News Agency (TTXVN) reporter in Kazan, within the framework of the Summit Commemorating 35 Years of ASEAN-Russia Relations, on the afternoon of June 18, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and ASEAN leaders attended a working lunch hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and Heads of Delegation attending the ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit working on Asia-Europe integration. Photo: Duong Giang/TTXVN.
With the theme "Asia-Europe Integration", leaders assessed that the Asia-Europe space is emerging as one of the world's strategic growth and connectivity hubs, stretching from Europe, Central Asia, Russia, the Caucasus to South Asia, East Asia, and corridors connecting to the Indian Ocean-Pacific.
With a population of 3.4 billion, 25% of global GDP, over 15% of international trade, the region currently holds more than 50% of oil reserves, 60% of global natural gas reserves, strategic minerals, over one-quarter of the world's agricultural land, along with great potential in logistics infrastructure. On the ASEAN side, in 2025, the Association's total GDP reached $4,000 billion, currently the world's fifth-largest economy and forecast to rise to fourth by 2030.
ASEAN is a convergence point for deep trade relations, intra-bloc connectivity, and connections with major partners such as China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, along with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)... In particular, ASEAN is currently accelerating the implementation of the ASEAN Power Grid (APG) to enhance regional energy security. Recently, ASEAN completed negotiations on the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) targeting $2,000 billion in digital economy by 2030, expected to become one of the most dynamic digital economy hubs in the region.
ASEAN and Russian leaders affirmed that these favorable conditions demonstrate that Asia-Europe integration is a natural and inevitable trend for the two regions amid rapid and complex geopolitical and geoeconomic shifts, leading to disruptions in the global economic, trade, and supply chain systems. Particularly, connectivity between ASEAN and Russia's Far East and Central Asia has the potential to become new growth poles in the Asia-Europe space. Therefore, the leaders exchanged many orientations and measures to promote Asia-Europe integration.
On economic-trade matters, countries agreed to strengthen connectivity between ASEAN and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), proposing to promote trade facilitation, customs, single-window mechanisms, e-commerce, business connectivity, supporting enterprises of both sides to participate more deeply in regional and interregional supply chains, increasing investment in processing industries, logistics, and cross-border trade infrastructure.
On energy, countries assessed that the Asia-Europe space plays a particularly important role in global energy security, agreed to enhance cooperation in oil and gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), civilian nuclear power, renewable energy, and energy transition...
On infrastructure and transport connectivity, countries recommended maximizing the potential of strategic transport corridors connecting Asia and Europe, such as the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), the Trans-Asian and Trans-Siberian railways, and the Northern Sea Route, to shorten transport time, reduce logistics costs, and enhance the resilience of regional supply chains.
Tam Hang - Tran Hieu (TTXVN)
