Russia"s Strategy for ASEAN: Development of bilateral relations and ASEAN"s position in Russia"s foreign policy

Russia and ASEAN are positioned within South Korea"s foreign policy as targets of its northern and southern policies. However, domestic research on the relationship between Russia and ASEAN is not extensive. Particularly, studies on Russia"s ASEAN policy are scarce. This study aims to fill this scholarly gap by tracing the development of Russia-ASEAN relations and analyzing the value ASEAN holds in Russia"s foreign policy. To achieve this, changes in bilateral relations, institutional mechanisms, and economic ties are briefly examined. While ASEAN may not be a top priority in Russia"s foreign policy agenda, its importance has been increasingly emphasized in Russia"s regional aspirations and post-Ukrainian conflict foreign policy. ASEAN emerges as a significant partner for Russia in balancing relations with China and India, and it holds its own role and value in Russia"s Greater Eurasian Partnership and New Eastern Policy. Based on these discussions, the study explores promising areas of cooperation such as energy resources, counterterrorism, and food security, to assess the direction of Russia"s ASEAN cooperation policy. However, physical, institutional, and interpersonal connectivity issues hinder cooperation development between Russia and ASEAN. Addressing these obstacles and enhancing exchanges will require additional research and efforts.