ASEAN-Russia: Foundations and Future Prospects

Russia-ASEAN Relations: An Indian Perspective

124 RUSSIA-ASEAN RELATIONS: AN INDIAN PERSPECTIVE Vijay Sakhuja The twenty-first-century economic order is driven by globalization, which has had a profound impact on every country of the world, be it landlocked, coastal or adjoining the polar regions, resulting in greater access to global markets. Most countries are experiencing high growth rates largely driven by the burgeoning global trade and are highly dependent on the free flow of resources and goods to sustain their economy. In this globalization-led international order, the Asia-Pacific region has emerged as the most dynamic part of the world in economic and strategic terms. Both regional and extra regional powers are important stakeholders in global order, and their economic prosperity and security is intertwined with the regional economic and security environment. These stakeholders are constantly engaged in formulating policies and developing strategies for greater engagement which manifests in the form of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) to enhance trade and interdependence. In fact, economic diplomacy has emerged as an important tool for these states to harness the benefits of the current trends in globalization and keep their economies vibrant and competitive. Consequently, there is greater emphasis on trade and investments in the region. At the strategic level, the Asia-Pacific region is under transformation. During the Cold War, geopolitical concerns and global rivalry between the U.S. and USSR had shaped the security dynamics in Asia. In the post-Cold War period, Asia is no longer divided along geopolitical and ideological lines, Russia-ASEAN Relations: An Indian Perspective 125 except in Korea. In fact there are more players in the region which would like to dominate the regional affairs. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China, India, Japan, Australia, the Republic of Korea, United States and Russia are at the forefront. In the evolving Asian balance of power, no country is willing to play second fiddle. In the above context, Russia and ASEAN are important players in the evolving geopolitical and geostrategic developments in the Asia-Pacific region. This paper attempts to explore areas of cooperation between Russia and ASEAN countries. It begins by arguing that Russia is an Asia-Pacific power and an important player in the strategic and political dynamics of the region through its engagements in a host of Asia-Pacific related multilateral institutions and organizations. The paper then showcases the regional nuclear developments and argues that Russia could consider acceding to the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (SEANWFZ). Finally the paper identifies areas such as energy cooperation and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) particularly during earthquakes, tsunamis and nuclear accidents, where the two can cooperate. RUSSIA: AN ASIA-PACIFIC POWER There is a tendency to regard Russia as a Eurasian power focused on the Euro-Atlantic region, or from a polar i.e. Arctic perspective given that the Arctic waters give it access to the warmer waters but not as an Asia-Pacific power. In fact the constants of geography dictate that Russia is also an AsiaPacific power by virtue of its Far East that opens into the Pacific region. In the Pacific Ocean, it lays claims to the Kurile Islands which are disputed by Japan, it overlooks the Bering Strait that is the gateway to Arctic waters, that are fast becoming navigable, and the Siberian and Far Eastern regions that are rich in energy and mineral resources and can meet the energy needs of the Asian countries. Russia has emerged as a partner and a stakeholder in several Asia-Pacific regional groupings such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Council (APEC) (it will host the APEC summit in Vladivostok in 2012), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the East Asia Summit (EAS), and the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus, a dialogue forum inaugurated in Hanoi in 2010. At the sub-regional level, it has institutionalized the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) comprising China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, which aims to promote security and economic cooperation. 126 Vijay Sakhuja Russia has supported debate and discussion on Asia-Pacific regional issues and its initiatives to address the challenges facing the region have been welcomed. Speaking at the 2011 Shangri-La Dialogue, hosted by Singapore, which is a forum for the defence ministers and senior military officials from across the Asia-Pacific region to debate and discuss the regional security environment, the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in his opening address stated that “I say to our friends...