Since July 1996 Russia has been a full dialogue partner with ASEAN. Every year the Russian Foreign Minister takes part in the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference (PMC) with Dialogue Partners, ASEAN + 10 and ASEAN + 1.
At ASEAN's tenth summit in Laos in November 2004, ASEAN leaders made the decision to hold the first high-level Russia-ASEAN meeting on 13 December 2005 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The Russia-ASEAN dialogue is supported by the following mechanisms:
-Senior Officials' Meetings (between deputy ministers) regarding political issues. The fourth Senior Officials' Meeting was held in May 2004 in Singapore and takes place every year and a half;
-Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC). The fourth session took place on 29 March 2005 in Singapore and sessions are held every year and a half;
-Joint Planning on Monitoring Committee (JPMC). The third session took place in April 2004 in Singapore and sessions are held whenever necessary;
-JCC Working Group on Trade and Economic Cooperation (WGTEC). The constituent meeting took place in September 2002 in Moscow.
- JCC Industrial Science and Technology Working Group (ISTWG). The second session took place on 28 March 2005 in Singapore;
-ASEAN Moscow Committee (AMC) composed of ambassadors from ASEAN states to Russia meets every quarter.
Since June 2003 Singapore has been serving a three-year term as ASEAN coordinator of the dialogue with Russia. Before 2003 Vietnam and Thailand served as coordinators; after 2006 it will be the Philippines.
On 19 June 2003 the Joint Declaration of the Foreign Ministers of the Russian Federation and ASEAN on Partnership for Peace and Security, and Prosperity and Development in the Asia-Pacific Region was signed in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and constitutes the legal base of the cooperation dialogue. On 2 July 2004 the ASEAN-Russia Joint Declaration for Cooperation to Combat International Terrorism was signed in Jakarta, Indonesia. On 29 November 2004 in Laos, Russia acceded to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (Bali Agreement 1976). On 10 December 2005 the Russia-ASEAN Intergovernmental Agreement on Cooperation in Economics and Development was signed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Regular meetings between Russian and ASEAN senior officials on transnational crime have begun. The first was held on 29 September 2004 in Brunei. The second was held on 28 November 2005 in Hanoi, Vietnam.
ASEAN General Secretary Ong Keng Yong made an official visit to Russia on 1–3 October 2004. During the visit he met with management at the Foreign Ministry, Defence Ministry, Ministry of Information Technology and Communications, and in Russian federal agencies dealing with culture and sports.
A Russian delegation took part in the seventh ASEAN Science and Technology week in Indonesia held on 5–9 August 2005. Some options for further teamwork in the Russia-ASEAN Science and Technology Cooperation mentioned above were developed during contacts with ASEAN states (ASEAN is preparing the project).
Inter-parliamentary contacts are an important component of Russia-ASEAN relations. Delegations of Russian parliamentary deputies regularly participate as observers in the general sessions of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organization (AIPO).
Contacts between the business circles of both Russia and the ASEAN member countries are steadily developing. An agreement on cooperation that provides for creating a Russia-ASEAN Business Council and a permanent Russian committee to participate in the Council was signed in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In April 2000 the first Russia-ASEAN Business Forum took place in Kuala Lumpur. The second Russia-ASEAN Business Forum is planned for 13 December 2005 during the first Russia-ASEAN summit.