MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th July, 2023) The United States and its NATO allies are persistently trying to launch an alternative to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) under the Indo-Pacific brand with confrontation in mind, testing the ASEAN-centric system, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.
"Nowadays, the US and its NATO allies, supported by certain regional players, are persistently pursuing a launch of alternative bloc structures, including under the 'Indo-Pacific' brand. These endeavors are aimed not at cooperation, but at deterrence and confrontation," Lavrov said in an interview with Indonesia's Kompas newspaper.
As a result, the ASEAN-centric system "is being subjected to the most serious test of strength," he added.
"We cannot allow those negative scenarios that have been staged by the US and NATO in other parts of the world to be extrapolated to the Asia-Pacific region," the minister said.
Russia acts as a "reliable like-minded partner of the Association" that works on ensuring stability and cooperation in the region, Lavrov emphasized.
From July 13-14, Lavrov will be attending regular meetings of ASEAN foreign ministers in the Russia-ASEAN, the East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Regional Forum on Security formats in Jakarta.
ASEAN includes Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. The rotating chairmanship of the bloc is taken on by each of its member states for 12 months. In 2023, Indonesia assumed the chairmanship of ASEAN.
