Opinions
Why ASEAN Centrality Still Matters
ASEAN centrality is interesting and necessary, first of all, for ASEAN itself as a condition for self-preservation as an independent centre of power amid rapidly changing international configurations. However, it is also necessary for those countries that will find themselves in a more difficult situation without institutional formats in the region. These include, first of all, is Russia, but also many other countries, including China and India – all those for whom economic development is of vital importance, and regional multilateral institutions, albeit in their soft version, perform a stabilising function, writes Ekaterina Koldunova, Director of the ASEAN Centre, Associate Professor of the Oriental Studies Department at MGIMO University of the Russian Foreign Ministry.