ASEAN Centre in MGIMO-University the MFA of Russia

Центр АСЕАН при МГИМО

President of the Philippines Receives Participants of Russia-ASEAN Youth Summit

President of the Philippines Receives Participants of Russia-ASEAN Youth Summit

30.11.2019

November 26th-30th, the fifth Russia-ASEAN Youth Summit, organized by the National Youth Council with the support of MGIMO’s ASEAN center unfolded in the Philippines. A special event in the summit program was the President of the Philippines Rodrigo R. Duterte’s invitation of the delegates to the Presidential Palace.

Greeting the guests, President Duterte warmly spoke about his recent trip to Russia during which he became Honorary Doctor of MGIMO. Among those attending the meeting were the Ambassador of Russia to the Philippines I. Khovaev, the Deputy Director of the Department of Asia-Pacific Cooperation at the Russian Foreign Ministry A.Lyamin, the Deputy Head of the Russian Federal Agency for Youth Affairs R.Kamaev, and staff of Rossotrudnichestvo and the Russia-ASEAN Business Council. MGIMO was represented at the event by members of the ASEAN Center, its Director V.Sumsky, the Deputy Director E.Tronevskaya, the leading expert E. Koldunova and the analyst V.Vershinina.

The third thematic session on Economic and Trade Cooperation unfolded on the second day of the summit. K. Tarasov, a member of the Russia-ASEAN Business Council, described to the audience the activities of the Business Council and the different directions in which business relations between Russia and ASEAN are expected to develop. During the other working sessions, the participants discussed practical issues and prepared the draft of the final Declaration. The Russian delegates made some key suggestions, which were incorporated in the final document.

During the closing ceremony, the final declaration was presented by the delegates to the representatives of Rosmolodezh and the National Council for Youth Affairs of the Philippines and adopted by consensus. Filipino dancers and musicians gave the ceremony a lively and festive atmosphere.

The guests to the Philippines enjoyed the rich cultural and educational program of the summit, which included a visit to the oldest district and historic core of Manila «Intramuros», to the University of the Philippines Diliman, which is the main national University, and the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute. During the time spent at the University Diliman, the delegates discovered the educational programs and placements for international students in Southeast Asia. The delegates also were taken on a tour of the only research nuclear reactor in Southeast Asia and discovered how Filipino researchers use nuclear technology in the national economy.

Youth summits have been held since 2013, when MGIMO hosted the first gathering at the initiative of the ASEAN Centre. The second forum took place in October 2014 at the International Youth Centre in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), the third in October 2015 in Vladivostok at the Far Eastern Federal University. The latest event was held in October 2016 in Siem Reap (Cambodia). The next summit, organized by the ASEAN Center, will take place in Russia.