Valdai Club Regonal Conference in Singapore. Press Breakfast
Singapore
Programme
List of speakers

At the press breakfast the participants summed up the results of the Valdai Club Regional conference and formulated the main points of the agenda.

Huang Jing, Lee Foundation Professor on U.S-China Relations, Director, Centre on Asia and Globalisation, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, said that Russia has never left the South-East Asia, maintaining the presence and partnerships with countries of the region. He drew particular attention to the fact that in order to promote economic development in Russia it is necessary to reach a new level of cooperation with Asian players. Western sanctions, he remarked, have no relation to the open and extensive partnership with South-East Asian countries.

Alexei Volin, Deputy Minister of Telecom and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation, urged to explore the region actively from two points of view - scientific cooperation and business. Geo-strategic and geopolitical realities require a multifaceted studies by the Russian experts. According to Alexei Volin, the future belongs to technologies, online communication, where the distance no longer plays any role, expanding the boundaries of the old world. The most important areas are education, healthcare and entertainment, Volin said. They are considered as the most promising for deepening of cooperation between Russia and Asian countries.

Fyodor Lukyanov, Research Director of the Valdai Discussion Club, drew attention to the forthcoming meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister of Japan Shinzō Abe. In this connection he noted the relevance of the Valdai Club Regional conference. According to him, despite the fact that Russia is only beginning to develop a partnership with South-East Asia, the results of the recent years show a significant intensification of cooperation. The Regional conference "New Institutions for Growth in Asia and Eurasia: What Mission for Russia?" became one of the first steps to enhance regional partnerships between Asia and Eurasia.