Russian FM and not Putin will attend Asean summits

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will represent the country at the Asean Related Summits in Phnom Penh with President Vladimir Putin giving the annual event a miss. Prime Minister Hun Sen had extended an invitation to Putin to attend the upcoming Related Summits in the capital.

Over the past week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly said ASEAN Chair, Cambodia, was “waiting for confirmation from the Russian side” over the presence of Putin while confirming there will be no ASEAN-Russia Summit this time. In a message to Khmer Times yesterday, Russian Embassy in Phnom Penh press attache Rafael Iangareev has confirmed that the Head of the Delegation will be Lavrov.

“The Russian Delegation attending the ASEAN-related Summit will be led by HE Mr Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation,” he said. The Russian News Agency TASS has quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that President Putin is not planning to go to the 17th East Asia Summit in Cambodia.

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