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| Sunday, 11 December 2005 |
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Russia to grace East Asia Summits KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 (AFP) - Russia is likely to become a permanent feature at future East Asia Summits, Malaysia reportedly said ahead of the inaugural meeting which President Vladimir Putin will attend as a guest. "Member states welcome the presence of Russia at the EAS and convey their support for the presence of Russia in future summits," Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said, according to the Star newspaper. Syed Hamid told reporters Saturday that Russia was a significant presence at the 16-nation gathering, which groups the 10 countries of ASEAN with Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea. "I think it is important. It shows Russia looks at the current development and sees the importance of having a very strong relationship in all angles," he said. "This will also allow them to interact with the East Asia leaders in the first summit we have. So the next time, we are interested to see the involvement of Russia in the process." Russia was refused full membership at next week's East Asian Summit because ASEAN, which was the catalyst for the new group, was split over its application. On Saturday, Southeast Asian ministers will hold their first official dialogue with their Russian counterpart. Putin also meets with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders on Tuesday. |
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