New US-Led Alliances Seek to Erode ASEAN-Centric Formats: Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticizes new US-led alliances, such as AUKUS and the Quad alliance, for "seeking to erode ASEAN-centric formats."
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, Russia on March 2, 2021 (Russian Foreign Ministry)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized Saturday the new US-led alliances, such as Quad and AUKUS, saying they are seeking to undermine ASEAN-centric cooperation formats in the Asia-Pacific.
"One of the most fashionable trends today is the so-called Indo-Pacific strategies, which were invented by the United States and manifested in the Quad quartet — the US, Japan, India, Australia — and, more recently, the creation of the AUKUS bloc," he said, addressing the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy.
He stressed that all these alliances aim to "blur the universal formats in the Asia-Pacific region," which he said existed for decades under the auspices of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN.
"Detrimental to the existing system" is how Lavrov described this kind of approach to regional politics, asserting that they are aimed at containing China.
The United States had announced on September 16 the formation of a new Indo-Pacific alliance, which included the United Kingdom and Australia, dubbed AUKUS.
The alliance was announced during a trilateral virtual meeting between US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. As part of the alliance, the United States and the United Kingdom will help Australia enhance its nuclear capabilities by aiding it in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines.
