RF flays US, allies’ ‘confrontational course’ in Asia

Russia, PH hold political consultation

On Nov 27, 2024

DEPUTY Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Andrey Rudenko, held political consultation with his Philippine counterpart, Undersecretary Maria-Thereza Lazaro, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on November 26. A statement from the Russian Embassy thru its Telegram Channel said the two officials discussed “topical issues of the bilateral, regional, and global agenda” (photo credit Russian Embassy).

DEPUTY Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Andrey Rudenko, held political consultations with his Philippine counterpart, Undersecretary Maria-Thereza Lazaro, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on November 26.

A press statement from the Russian Embassy in its Telegram Channel said the two exchange views on “topical issues of the bilateral, regional, and global agenda.”

Both sides also discussed the state and perspectives of development of the Russian-Philippine political dialogue, cooperation in trade, economic and humanitarian spheres.

Special attention was paid to interaction within the UN and multilateral venues of the Asia-Pacific region, including within the format of the Russia-ASEAN Dialogue.

A day prior to his courtesy call, an article by Rudenko also appeared in the Business Mirror where he noted that the Philippines “remains an important and promising partner of Russia in the Asia Pacific region.”

“We believe that realizing the significant potential of our bilateral cooperation lies in the context of a multipolar world order, to which Russia and the Philippines, as an influential member of ASEAN, are making their tangible contributions,” Rudenko added.

At the same time, Rudenko, also Russia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary since October 2020, said they are wary that the security and cooperation architecture, created around ASEAN over recent decades, is “under threat” from the United States and its minions.

“Under the slogan of a ‘free and open Indo-Pacific region,’ the United States and their allies are pursuing a confrontational course aimed at ‘bloc containment.’

“The Euro-Atlanticists deliberately heat up the situation around Taiwan and the Korean Peninsula, aggravate territorial disputes in the South China Sea, and use heightened tensions in the region to pump it up with arms, including strategic weapons.”

Russia, Rudenko said, is closely observing efforts by the United States and its Western minions “to pull other ASEAN countries into similar narrow-bloc entities, with the aim of forming new ‘trios’ and ‘quartets.’”