They will last until December 3
BANGKOK, December 1. /tass/. The first-ever naval exercises of Russia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) opened in Indonesia. This was reported to the TASS correspondent on Wednesday at the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to ASEAN.
The opening ceremony was attended by the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to ASEAN Alexander Ivanov and the Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Lyudmila Vorobyova. "These exercises are about peace, stability and prosperity in the region," Ivanov said. "We are opening a new page in our strategic partnership."
For his part, the commander of the 1st Fleet of the Indonesian Navy, Rear Admiral Abdul Rasiid, said that the maneuvers "will improve cooperation and mutual understanding between the military of the Russian Federation and ASEAN, as well as strengthen friendship between them."
The Russia-ASEAN naval exercises will last until December 3 in the territorial waters of Indonesia near North Sumatra. From the Russian side, the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Panteleev is taking part in them. The exercises are divided into two phases - virtual and marine.
On October 28, the 4th Russia-ASEAN Summit was held via videoconference. The meeting was timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the establishment of relations between the Russian Federation and the association, celebrated this year. Following the summit, a number of documents were adopted aimed at further development of the strategic partnership. The leaders approved the decision to hold the first-ever naval exercises of the Russian Federation and ASEAN.