Interview on Asian & BRICS Developments Plus a Note of Interest
Interview with Director of the Third Asian Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry Lyudmila Vorobyeva to Rossiya Segodnya
Lyudmila Vorobyeva
Before getting into this interview, a point was brought to my attention about some specific verbiage made by President Putin in his Prosecutor General talk of a few days ago. In his talk, he referred to the Donbass and Novorossiya as two distinct areas of Russia in ways that were simply matter-of-fact, which raised no special notice from me when I read them. Here are the two mentions:
I consider it significant that these measures are now being implemented in our historical regions as well. In the territory of Donbass and Novorossiya, work continued to improve the regulatory framework and ensure property rights, as well as to preserve strategic and strategic state enterprises….
I would like to thank the Russian prosecutors for their professionalism and responsibility, for such an approach to their duties. Special words of gratitude go to the employees who work in the Donbass and Novorossiya, as well as in the regions of the Russian Federation located in the immediate vicinity of the combat zone.
This was deemed significant by Topcor in “Donbass, Novorossiya and something else: Putin hinted at what the new territories of the Russian Federation will look like after the end of the SVO,” and provided this graphic to go with its short text:
A curious depiction I haven’t seen before. The question begged is how important was Putin’s choice of words? Given the fact that negotiations are currently guaranteed to continue slower than a snail’s pace it’s very possible for the SMO to proceed as far or farther than what’s depicted. The ongoing mantra from Russia continues to be: Take the deal being offered now because the next one will be worse from your POV. Yet, Zelensky and the forces behind him refuse to speed up the process despite having lost so much territory and people already.
And now for today’s interview of Lyudmila Vorobyeva, Director of the Third Asian Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, by Rossiya Segodnya about activities in the Asia-Pacific and with BRICS:
Question: Please tell us about the planned contacts at the highest and high levels in 2025 with the leaders of the states supervised by your Department.
Lyudmila Vorobyeva: Political dialogue with the countries of the Asia-Pacific Region (APR) is developing intensively. In 2024, President of Russia Vladimir Putin paid a state visit to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Vietnam), and the leaders of Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia and Vietnam visited us. Meetings were held with the foreign ministers of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. The potential of the BRICS platform (the summit in Kazan in October 2024 and the expanded session of the meeting of foreign ministers in Nizhny Novgorod in June 2024), as well as ASEAN events in Vientiane (Laos), were actively used. The results of the contacts confirmed the mutual commitment to further deepening mutually beneficial cooperation.
The year 2025 also promises to be very eventful. It began with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin's trip to Vietnam. Most recently, Chairman of the State Administrative Council and Prime Minister of Myanmar Min Aung Hlaing paid an official visit to our country. Secretary of the Security Council Sergey Shoigu held a number of meetings in Indonesia and Malaysia.
The mutual interest of Russia and the countries of Southeast Asia (SEA) in the development of trade and economic cooperation, interaction in the field of defense and security, humanitarian exchanges, including education, science, culture, and people-to-people contacts is steadily growing. The region highly appreciates Russia's firm commitment to the formation of a more just multipolar world order based on the principles of equal and indivisible security. We speak the same language with our partners, without moralizing, mentoring and neocolonial habits, and we respect their national characteristics. All this creates favourable conditions for further intensifying political dialogue.
We expect the leaders of a number of states in the region to take part in the events dedicated to the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
Question: In the spring of 2024, the United States temporarily deployed Typhon medium-range missile systems in the Philippines, subsequently extending their deployment indefinitely. At the same time, there are reports in the media about Washington's intention to export Typhon systems to Japan. Has Russia conveyed its position on this issue to the Japanese and Philippine sides?
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said that Russia could consider deploying its intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles in Asia in response to such actions. Which countries are you referring to in this context?
Lyudmila Vorobyeva: We do not question the right of individual states to strengthen their security. At the same time, we believe that the appearance of US ground-based intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles in various regions of the world, including the Asia-Pacific region, not only does not contribute to maintaining stability, but only spurs the arms race, increases the level of conflict and leads to an increase in strategic risks. This position was clearly formulated in public statements by the leadership of our country, repeatedly broadcast at international venues, and also explained during bilateral contacts.
As for Japan, we see how its government is purposefully, including in the public space, toughening its rhetoric about the threats allegedly emanating from the DPRK, as well as China's actions in the Taiwan Strait, thereby trying to justify the policy of accelerated militarisation and building up military-technical cooperation with Western allies. We have repeatedly warned Tokyo that if such cooperation results in US medium-range missiles in Japan, we will be forced to take the necessary countermeasures to strengthen our own defence capability in order to counter the challenges to Russia's security emanating from Japanese territory.
The specific content of the response steps will be worked out by the competent agencies in accordance with the long-term strategic objectives and interests of the Russian Federation.
Q: Japan has opened a mission to NATO independent of its embassy in Belgium. As part of the alliance's "Indo-Pacific strategies," its partnership with official Tokyo is strengthening. What will be Moscow's reaction to these actions?
Lyudmila Vorobyeva: The West's deliberate policy of implementing the strategic task of "NATOFICATING" Asia cannot but cause concern. In the schemes for scaling up the mandate of the North Atlantic Alliance in the Asia-Pacific region, "small geometry" formats are actively used, such as AUKUS, Quad and their extended derivatives, as well as various "fours", "troikas" and numerous bilateral allied ties with the participation of Washington. NATO countries outside the region, such as Canada, Germany and France, are increasingly being drawn up to the Western-centric military-political architecture that it is forming in the Asian field, and the Nordic states are also being drawn up to certain segments of work.
The range and composition of participants in NATO exercises in the Asia-Pacific region is constantly increasing, where all kinds of scenarios are being tested–-up to military interventions in countries affected by natural disasters and the conduct of an "all-out war". The logistics of transferring NATO forces and equipment to the region are being worked out. Attempts to ensure the permanent presence of the strike air forces of Euro-Atlantic states here through rotational schemes are visible.
Japan has consistently been one of the most active supporters of NATO's deeper involvement in the Asia-Pacific region, promoting the well-known thesis of the "indivisibility of the security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific region" with clear anti-Chinese and anti-Russian overtones. Against this background, we are witnessing an increase in the intensity of Tokyo's joint exercises with extra-regional European countries, including access for foreign units to the island state's military infrastructure.
They are also trying to draw Southeast Asia into the cooperative space "for their own people." At the same time, most countries in the region are concerned about the dangerous processes of militarization of the Asia-Pacific region and the complex risks that ensue from it.
In this regard, we regularly convey through diplomatic channels the thesis that such a foreign policy line carries obvious risks for security in East Asia and the Asia-Pacific region as a whole, stimulating a new stage of the arms race. In turn, in order to strengthen peace and stability in the region, we are building up cooperation in the foreign policy and defense spheres with our partners, including China.
Question: Has Tokyo decided to extend contracts for the supply of liquefied natural gas under the Sakhalin-2 project? Is Tokyo's readiness not to leave the Sakhalin-1 project still in force?
Lyudmila Vorobyeva: The energy sector is one of the few where Russia and Japan maintain constructive cooperation. The Japanese side officially recognises the critical importance of joint oil and gas projects for ensuring national energy security, while maintaining the participation of its companies in them at this stage.
At the same time, Tokyo continues to declare its intention to "completely get rid of" dependence on Russian energy resources within the framework of the Group of Seven. The Biden administration helped them in this: "thanks" to the illegal so-called sanctions, Japan's participation in another significant project for Tokyo–-the Arctic LNG-2–-was actually blocked. We also take into account the large-scale initiative proposed by Washington to the government of Shinzo Ishiba to produce gas in Alaska, which, according to experts, could be used in the future to oust Russian LNG from the Japanese market.
Of course, the choice of further actions is up to Japan. In any case, our fuel resources will find their consumers both in Asia and in other regions of the world.
Question: Thailand and Malaysia have become BRICS partner countries, Indonesia has become a full-fledged member of the association, and a number of other Southeast Asian countries–-Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia-–are showing interest in BRICS work. Is it possible for these countries to obtain partner status this year or full membership following the Brazilian presidency?
Lyudmila Vorobyeva: Dialogue with developing countries and emerging markets is one of the priority areas of BRICS activities. In this context, we welcome the expansion of the geography and economic potential of the association with the inclusion of Indonesia and partner countries. We believe that this will help strengthen the spirit of solidarity and international cooperation for the benefit of all.
We do not rule out a further increase in the number of BRICS members, whether in the category of full-fledged members or partners. We are committed to constructive interaction with all those who are committed to the principle of sovereign equality and share the ideals of equality and mutual respect, openness, pragmatism and solidarity. At the same time, this year the association has formed a common opinion on the need to focus on consolidating our strategic partnership and integrating the newly admitted members and partner states into the BRICS architecture, taking into account the task of maintaining its effectiveness.
Question: Following an official visit to Russia by Chairman of the State Administrative Council and Prime Minister of Myanmar Min Aung Hlaing, an intergovernmental agreement was signed on the construction of a low-power nuclear power plant in that country. When can the construction of a nuclear power plant begin? What are the prospects for Russia's involvement in the construction of a nuclear power plant in Vietnam?
Lyudmila Vorobyeva: Ensuring the national energy balance is one of the key tasks for the governments of almost all Southeast Asian countries, which in recent years have been consistently among the most dynamically developing economies. Naturally, in such conditions, our partners from ASEAN countries are showing interest to one degree or another in the possibilities of creating nuclear energy. It is known that Russia has traditionally been a global leader in the field of peaceful nuclear energy, and Rosatom State Corporation has all the necessary competencies and unique experience in this area.
Over the past few years, Rosatom has made a lot of efforts to assist its Myanmar partners in the development of national nuclear infrastructure and the training of specialized personnel, as well as the exchange of experience in the energy and non-energy applications of nuclear technologies and nuclear medicine. Thanks to the signing of a relevant intergovernmental agreement in early March of this year, a legal framework has been created for the start of the implementation of the relevant project. At the same time, it is obvious that this is only the first step. We are firmly committed to consistent painstaking work together with our partners from Myanmar.
Rosatom is also ready to join the construction of a nuclear power plant in Vietnam.
Question: Please tell us about cooperation with Vietnam in the oil and gas sector.
Lyudmila Vorobyeva: The fuel and energy complex has traditionally been a strategically important area of cooperation between the two countries. Its flagship is the Vietsovpetro joint venture, which was established by Zarubezhneft JSC and the Petrovietnam Oil and Gas Corporation in 1981.
In the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Rusvietpetro Joint Company LLC, established in 2008 by Vietsovpetro members, is successfully producing hydrocarbons. [My Emphasis]
Nenets is in the Arctic near the Yamal peninsula, so LNG would be shipped via tanker. I was unaware of Shoigu’s visit to Malaysia and Indonesia likely to discuss security issues. As most know, Russia’s overseas military sales window is currently closed for new contracts until the SMO ends or a waiver is provided. Both might be interested in constructing their own naval vessels which is one area where Russia can help. Indonesia’s new president is a former general and will want to modernize his military. We can see by ongoing escalation of NATO activity in the region that any thought of Trump pulling out of NATO seems to be magical thinking, same with the theatre in Europe about strained relations over Ukraine. Reduction of the Outlaw US Empire’s global military footprint to finance MAGA also looks unlikely.
The construction of regassification plants and a regional pipeline distribution network within ASEAN are moving ahead with capacity to increase 3X, so if Japan doesn’t want Russian gas it has a ready, hungry market as noted above. Indonesia will soon break the 300 million population mark, which is a fact few note. At some point this century it will pass the Outlaw US Empire in population. When one looks at the ASEAN plus Bangladesh and minus Philippines, the current population is over 700 Million—with the current US Filipino colony that increases to 825 Million. I expect that colony to be the focus of NATO activity over Trump 2.0. How that will affect its status within ASEAN is unknown but it’s unlikely to be positive. Of course, it’s of paramount importance to negate any further incursion by the Outlaw US Empire/NATO into the region as its intentions are not at all honorable or beneficial for the region’s members. Russia has much to gain from its excellent relations with the region. IMO, Indonesia is the nation to watch and learn more about.
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Thanks Karl, while Indonesia might have a longstanding affinity with the USA, they are anything but fools. They are the largest muslim nation on earth and are likely offended to their core watching the USA lead and arm the genocide against Palestinian people in general and especially muslims in the West Asia region. They also have their own genocide carefully tucked awat in their memory of 1965. They have already been alerted to the complete vulgarity of the USA elites through the savagery against Syria, Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan over the past decades.
Indonesia is located in a big pond and among its near neighbours is Australia that strains at the bit to send its soldiers to whatever Gallipoli moment comes next. Its a multiple choice scenario for the warmongering leadership cults in Oz unfortunately. I guess Indonesian elites would relish the thought of Russian and Chinese arms supplying their defence forces. They are in the first stage of constructing a wide high speed rail network in conjunction with China.
Given that sage and peacemaking minds are in short supply among the USA political class, I would assume that Russia's steady diplomacy and simple transactional dealings will find a ready market in the entire region and the Philippines will just need to have another progressive revolution in the near future before they can join the club of BRICS and sensible nations. That is not a problem for anyone other than the people trapped inside the Philippino cage.
It matters little what the USA does when one considers the rapid acceleration of the aggregation of a multipolar world community committed to human betterment before oligarch monopoly. Sure there are oligarchs aplenty in Indonesia and very capable ones to boot but the emerging multipolar commons in the non Euro world may just offer a better, less murderous future.
When will the peoples of post WW2 subjugation, namely Germany & Japan discard their adult diapers and fight for their Independence?
As if Japan's 280%+ debt/gdp ratio is not enough of an encumbrance that they've been cuckolded into confronting the world's most technically advanced nuclear power.
I can remember a recent statement by Blinken (made with that deadpan evil smirk I call snide) , he said, once you allow a Russian into your home you cant get rid of them. I almost choked on whichever liquid I held to my lips as clued-up people know that he was actually referring to the USA because I can't think of many occasions where Russia have outstayed their welcome but can name dozens where the outlaw American regime has and still remain to this day.