A dialogue with representatives from the ASEAN 10 on building an inclusive regional architecture for a sustainable future was the key event of the session.
A Federal Assembly delegation took part in the 46th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The delegation included Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Budget and Financial Markets Anatoly Artamonov; First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Andrey Denisov; and member of the Federation Council Committee on Science, Education and Culture Olga Shchetinina, as well as State Duma deputies Sholban Kara-ool, Badma Bashankayev, and Andrey Kuznetsov.
The General Assembly was convened under the motto “Parliament at the Forefront for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable ASEAN” and featured a dialogue with parliamentarians from AIPA member states on the theme, The Central Role of ASEAN: Building an Inclusive Regional Architecture for Sustainable Development.” Participants included representatives from Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Russian senators emphasised the role of parliamentary diplomacy in shaping and implementing a positive development agenda in the Asia-Pacific and highlighted Russia’s willingness to share advanced digitalisation, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, nuclear energy, and agriculture solutions with ASEAN countries, stressing the need to move from general agreements to specific projects.
Given AIPA’s strong focus on women’s issues, Olga Shchetinina proposed establishing permanent cooperation between the Women’s AIPA (WAIPA) and the Council of the Eurasian Women’s Forum.
Bilateral cooperation was addressed during the dialogue, with ASEAN representatives emphasising the most significant aspects of their countries’ engagement with Russia.
More detailed discussions took place on the sidelines of the AIPA during meetings with national delegations from Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, and China.
In talks with the senior officials from both chambers of the Malaysian Parliament, Russian and Malaysian representatives discussed bilateral relations in depth, with special focus on prospects for expanding trade and economic cooperation, tourism, and resuming direct air travel.
Anatoly Artamonov and Deputy President of the Malaysian Senate Nur Jazlan, who head the upper parliament chamber cooperation group, agreed to hold an introductory videoconference for group members and to arrange a Malaysian officials’ visit to Russia.
Talks with the Lao delegation were held in a traditionally friendly atmosphere. Vice-President of the Lao National Assembly Sounthon Xayyachak underscored the importance of Russia’s investment in Laos’ economy and the completion of the construction of a Russian school in Vientiane. She confirmed Laos’ readiness to sign an updated Memorandum of Understanding with the Federation Council.
At a meeting with Indonesian parliamentarians, the discussion focused on establishing financial settlement mechanisms and deepening cooperation within BRICS, particularly in the energy sector. Indonesian representatives expressed gratitude for Russia’s support of Indonesia’s accession to BRICS. President of the Interparliamentary Cooperation Committee of Indonesia’s House of Representatives Marzani Ali Sera stressed his country’s readiness to advance Russia’s initiative for the institutionalisation of the BRICS Plus geopolitical group within the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Talks with Vietnamese parliamentarians included aligning agendas on inter-parliamentary cooperation both at the leadership level and within friendship groups. Special attention was paid to strengthening region-to-region cooperation.
In a meeting with the Chinese representatives, Anatoly Artamonov and Head of the National People’s Congress Committee on Finance and Budget Cai Jimin addressed coordination of legislative support for prospective economic projects. The Russian senator emphasised the importance of parliamentary assistance in establishing mutually beneficial interregional cooperation. Cai Jimin supported the proposal to strengthen cooperation between the respective financial committees.
The senators visited the Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Kuala Lumpur, where they held a productive meeting with its senior staff and representatives of the Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots’ Organisations. Discussions covered the promotion of the Russian language abroad and cooperation with Muslim organisations.
“We discussed education, mutual recognition of diplomas and academic degrees. These matters that are being reviewed and will soon be addressed by the governments of both countries. We also talked about increasing the number of placements for Malaysian students in Russian universities, since the demand is growing each year. A separate issue was the promotion of the Russian language in Malaysia. More people are interested in learning it, and the Russia House plays an important role in this effort,” Olga Shchetinina said.
After the 46th General Assembly of AIPA ended, the chairmanship passed to the National Congress of the Philippines. The 47th General Assembly will take place in Manila in September 2026.