On 21-24 November 2017 Second Ministerial Conference on Regional Economic Cooperation and Integration in Asia and the Pacific was held in UN ESCAP headquarters in Bangkok.

H.E. Mr. Kirill Barsky, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Kingdom of Thailand and Permanent Representative of Russia to UN ESCAP headed the delegation of the Russian Federation.

The Conference focused on such issues as of development of an integrated market in the Asia-Pacific region, seamless connectivity across the region in the field of transport, energy, information and communication technologies, enhancing financial cooperation, increasing economic and technical cooperation to address shared vulnerabilities and risks. Discussion that took place in the course of the Conference confirmed the determination of ESCAP Member States to move towards improvement and intensification of the integration in all spheres and aligning this work with the implementation of Agenda-2030.

A joint event “Towards regional transport connectivity in Eurasia” that was co-organized by Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and UN ESCAP during the Conference attracted profound interest of the Member States as well as representatives of other regional entities.

Statement of the Russian Federation which contained comprehensive political and economic analysis of the current stage of international relations and situation in the Asia-Pacific region evoked a wide response of the participants. The Russian Delegation emphasized that multilateral cooperation, trade liberalization and bridging the approaches of ESCAP member States with a view forging Greater Eurasian Economic Partnership with participation of Eurasian Economic Union, SCO, ASEAN and other individual countries and international associations have no alternative.

The major outcome of the Conference - the Ministerial Declaration highlighted the common positions of the member States on furtherance of integration efforts and enhancement of multilateral trade and economic partnership in Asia and the Pacific.

Statement by H.E. Mr. Kirill Barsky, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Kingdom of Thailand, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to UN ESCAP at the Second Ministerial Conference on Regional Economic Cooperation and Integration in Asia and the Pacific (Agenda item 7. Policy debate on issues pertaining to regional economic cooperation and integration in Asia and the Pacific)

Mr. Chairman,

Dear Conference participants,

Today, the system of international relations is going through one of the most acute crises in modern history. Attempts by individual centres of power to impose their vision of an "ideal democracy" or an "ideal economic model" have a profound negative impact on global economic processes, increase the risks in the financial sphere, and may lead to the fragmentation of trade and economic ties and ultimately to the failure of efforts aimed at achieving the goals of the Agenda-2030.

However, the life itself convincingly demonstrates that no single national economy, even the largest one, is able to regulate economic development processes alone. Systemic challenges can only be addressed through joint thoughtful actions and development of balanced approaches in the areas of trade and finance.

It is time to admit that unilateral - and especially discriminatory - measures fail to achieve their goals. The world has long ceased to be unipolar and it is impossible to stop the historical progress in the development of full-scale multilateral economic cooperation and integration, which is the only force that can ensure poverty eradication and sustainable development.

The countries of our region are united in this opinion, which is well illustrated by the outcomes of the recent APEC summit in Danang and the East Asian Summit just concluded in Manila. The overwhelming majority of State leaders present there stated firmly their intention to further advance the multilateral partnership in support of maintaining regional security, liberalizing trade, and ensuring balanced economic interaction that takes into account the priorities and unique features of all countries.

Mr. Chairman,

As the largest Eurasian power with vast territories in the Far East endowed with significant natural resources and considerable scientific and technological potential, Russia has a stake in the successful future of the Asia-Pacific region and can make an important contribution to sustainable comprehensive growth across the region. We believe that this goal is best achieved through effective economic integration based on the principles of openness and mutual benefit within the framework of universal rules established by WTO.

An effective integration strategy must be based on the holistic development of all regional infrastructure components and a synergy between efforts of all countries.

Russia’s transcontinental geographical position offers unique opportunities for addressing these issues, as with each passing year the resource-rich Siberia and the dynamic Russian Far East are making an ever more significant contribution to a stronger regional system of trade and economic ties. We do have what to offer to our partners in the Asia-Pacific region.

The set of ongoing measures to upgrade the Baikal-Amur Mainline and improve the infrastructure of the Trans-Siberian Railway will simplify formal procedures thus reducing to seven days the time it takes for trains to move through the Trans-Siberian Railway which forms the backbone of the Northern Corridor of the Trans-Asian Railway. It is almost twice as fast as the traditional sea route via the Suez Canal.

 Within the framework of our strategic partnership with China, the Chinese-Russian memorandum on cooperation in the development of international Primorye-1 and Primorye-2 transport corridors signed this year represents an important achievement. A transport link between Sakhalin and Hokkaido promises to become a major project in the area of infrastructure cooperation with Japan.

Russia is actively participating in the development of such landmark international transport corridors as North-South and East-West international corridors, and in creating a new Europe-Western China highway route. Due to the rising tensions in the Korean Peninsula, the negotiations on linking the Trans-Siberian Railway with the Trans-Korean Railway stalled, but the issue is still relevant.

We have high hopes for the implementation of the intergovernmental agreement between Russia, China and Mongolia on international road transport along the Asian Highway signed at the ESCAP Ministerial Conference on Transport in Moscow.

Russia is actively developing the energy infrastructure. The capacity of the Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean oil pipeline –started in 2009 – has been increased to 58 million tonnes. It is an important asset that will help us meet the growing energy needs of our neighbours. Together with our Chinese partners we started constructing a major natural gas pipeline called the "Power of Siberia", which will connect the gas fields of Yakutia with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. In the East of our country, we are building facilities for production of liquefied natural gas. We are actively cooperating with the countries of the region in the area of nuclear energy. We see those large-scale projects as guarantors of energy security in the region and achievement of Agenda-2030 goals.

We are committed to implementing new bilateral and multilateral infrastructure projects that will link the economies and markets of ESCAP member States. Our major focus is on the energy “Super ring” which would unite Russia, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea and become a powerful driver of integration for the economies of Northeast Asia.

The implementation of the projects mentioned above would provide a solid foundation for bringing trade and economic cooperation in the region to a qualitatively new level.

Mr. Chairman,

We are convinced that the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) formed by Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and Armenia can make an important contribution to boosting economic development in the Asia-Pacific region.

The member States of the EEU are guided by the common understanding of the need for close cooperation which is a powerful engine for development of national economies, while integration processes are seen as a tool that promotes higher level of development and well-being of the population without detriment to national identity and state sovereignty of each side.

Our union was created to strengthen the trade and economic collaboration between States both in the post-Soviet space and beyond. This integration project is based on the principles of equality, transparency and non-discrimination, mutual respect and consideration of the interests of all participants. For our part, we are ready to be reliable and predictable partners for all those who wish to develop mutually beneficial relations with the Union.

The same approaches constitute the foundation for our engaged participation in the implementation of the concept of harmonizing the efforts of the EEU, SCO, ASEAN and other regional and subregional entities and building upon this to create the so-called Greater Eurasian Economic Partnership involving the widest range of countries of the Asia-Pacific region. We believe that an important component of this process is to align the EEU integration projects and the Belt and Road Initiative.

The first successes are already evident. About 50 states have already expressed interest in cooperating with the EEU. The first positive experience in this regard came in May 2015 when a free trade agreement was signed with Vietnam. Recently, negotiations were concluded on an agreement on trade and economic cooperation with China. The work with Iran is at its final stage. Negotiations with Singapore have begun, and we are exploring the possibility of signing a free trade agreement with ASEAN. In the long-term, we will consider starting negotiations with India. The Greater Eurasian Economic Partnership is taking shape before our very eyes.

Mr. Chairman,

When talking about the common tasks of strengthening economic integration and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, one cannot fail to mention the special mission of ESCAP. We see the Commission as the most representative and universal regional entity of the UN system in this part of the world. It is to play a key role in defining the strategic direction of international efforts in the area of social and economic diplomacy.

The Russian Federation seeks to bolster the activities of ESCAP aimed at enhancing the capacity of its member States, addressing social and economic issues and creating a stronger scientific, analytical and practical basis for cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. Since 2009, Russia has annually been making a voluntary contribution of $1.2 million to ESCAP. These funds have been used to finance dozens of technical assistance projects in the member States in areas of trade and investment, transport and energy which are the focus of this conference. We plan to continue ensuring our full-scale participation in the project activities of ESCAP for the benefit of all member States of the Commission.

Mr. Chairman,

Today, the Asia-Pacific region is an influential centre of global economic and financial activity and an attractive arena for cooperation with a considerable potential for constructive alignment of the interests of all countries. Russia's policy in the region is marked by a balanced nature and a focus on developing a unifying agenda. In our efforts to achieve these goals, we rely on a solid foundation of bilateral relations with the States of the region with many of which we have time-tested ties of friendship and multifaceted cooperation.

At the 70th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, stressed that “in contrast to the policy of exclusivity, we are proposing the harmonization of regional economic projects, the so-called integration of integrations, based on universal and transparent principles of international trade.” We see this as a key factor that will enable the countries of the region to successfully address pressing social and economic issues, and we are firmly committed to this path.

Thank you for your attention.