We, the Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Russian Federation, met via videoconference on 28 October 2021 for the 4th ASEAN-Russia Summit to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of ASEAN-Russia Relations;
Guided by the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, the ASEAN Charter, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), the EAS Declaration on the Principles for Mutually Beneficial Relations (Bali Principles) as well as universally recognised principles of international law;
Recalling that national security cannot be ensured at the expense of others and emphasising the need to fully respect and take into account the legitimate interests and concerns, and the domestic laws and regulations of all states;
Do hereby declare to:
1. Promote our common interest in ensuring that the evolving regional architecture continues to bring about peace, security, stability and prosperity for the peoples in the Asia-Pacific andthe Indian Ocean regions. Reaffirm unwavering support to ASEAN Centrality in the evolving regional architecture and commitment to strengthen and give new momentum to ASEAN-led mechanisms to better face challenges and seize opportunities arising from the current and future regional and global environments.
2. Promote cooperation between ASEAN Member States and Russiabased on the principles ofmutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity and national identity; respect for international law; the right to lead national existence free from external interference, subversion or coercion; non-interference in the internal affairs of one another; reliance onpeaceful settlement of disputes; refrain from the threat or use of force; and effective cooperation.
3. Continue to deepen cooperation and explore practical cooperative activities within the mutually-reinforcing ASEAN-led mechanisms such as the East Asia Summit (EAS), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) as well as platforms such as Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum (EAMF).
4. Emphasize that the evolving regional security architecture should be open, transparent, inclusive, and based on universally recognised rules and principles of international law, including the principle of equality, and encourage continued exchanges of views on regional security architecture within ASEAN-led mechanisms, including East Asia Summit and EAS Ambassadors’ Meeting in Jakarta.
5. Acknowledge the importance placed by ASEAN on the principles and objectives in the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, which are inclusive in nature and aimed to guide cooperation of ASEAN in the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean region, and to generate momentum for building strategic trust and win-win cooperation and to strengthen existing ASEAN-led mechanisms while not creating new mechanisms or replacing existing ones.
6. Explore possible practical cooperation on the issues of mutual interest between ASEAN, the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Acknowledge the importance placed by Russia on stronger transregional partnership in Eurasia as envisaged by the Greater Eurasian Partnership initiative.
7. Ensure maritime security and safety, freedom of navigation and overflight and unimpeded commerce. Promote self-restraint, non-use of force or the threat to use force and the resolution of dispute through peaceful means in accordance with universally recognised principles of international law, including as stated in the United Nations Charter, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the relevant Standards and Recommended practices of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and relevant instruments and conventions of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
8. Emphasise the practical value of and agree to play active roles in connecting the connectivities of the Asia-Pacific, the Indian Ocean, as well as Greater Eurasia regions, and increase practical cooperation for the mutually reinforcing development, in particular by supporting and exploring synergies with the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) 2025 and the ASEAN Smart Cities Network, and other multilateral cooperation frameworks to promote regional connectivity.
9. Increase efforts to develop maritime connectivity, towards a seamless and connected region, and develop sustainable and resilient infrastructure logistics and port management, navigation cooperation to promote economic growth that will not only contribute to narrowing development gaps but also promote regional cooperation and the community building process, as well as better mobility of people, skilled labour, goods and services.
10. Actively support sustainable economic recovery in the region and explore practical cooperation to facilitate the promotion of people-to-people connectivity between ASEAN and Eurasia. In this regard, note ASEAN Travel Corridor Arrangement Framework (ATCAF), and EAEU Ecosystem of Digital Transport Corridors.
Adopted on the Twenty Eighth of October in the Year Two Thousand and Twenty-One on the occasion of the 4th ASEAN-Russia Summit.