According to Anadolu Agency, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Friday on the sidelines of the 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Laos, where bilateral relations and cooperation in the fields of energy and economy were discussed.

The two ministers also discussed the war between Russia and Ukraine, developments in the Gaza Strip, the situation in Syria and other regional issues.

Fidan is expected to meet with colleagues from Malaysia, Laos, Singapore and the UK. He will also meet the ASEAN Secretary-General.

In 2010, Turkey established institutional relations and signed the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, one of ASEAN’s founding documents. In 2017, it became a sectoral dialogue partner.

In July last year, the Foreign Minister attended the fifth meeting of the ASEAN-Turkey Sectoral Dialogue Partnership in Indonesia.

Turkey’s trade volume with ASEAN countries amounted to $6.5 billion in 2010 and has increased over the years to $12 billion in 2017, the year the Sectoral Dialogue Partnership was established.

The trade volume between Turkey and ASEAN amounted to USD 14.8 billion in 2022 and USD 14.6 billion in 2023.

News.Az