ENGAGEMENT OVER ISOLATION
This preference for engagement over isolation is deeply embedded in ASEAN’s modus operandi. Its claim to centrality rests partly on its ability to convene all major powers, including those that are politically contentious or even unsavoury. ASEAN tends to begin with the question of what cooperation remains possible, rather than demanding full political alignment before engagement can take place.
Singapore’s attendance captures this. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s visit is the first by a Singapore leader to Russia since Singapore imposed sanctions on Moscow following the 2022 invasion. However, those measures were narrowly targeted at specified financial, military and technological activities linked to Russia’s war effort and were not intended to sever diplomatic relations or foreclose cooperation entirely.
This takes a leaf from the island’s oft-used playbook of holding a firm line on sovereignty, territorial integrity and international law, while keeping diplomatic and regional channels open. Singapore can participate in an ASEAN process without retreating from its position on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, provided that any cooperation remains within the boundaries of its sanctions.
Still, the political symbolism cannot be wished away. For Moscow, the gathering is valuable because its optics resonate. Being received by almost the entire Southeast Asian leadership allows Russia to push back against the narrative that it is internationally isolated, regardless of how carefully ASEAN describes the occasion.
That creates a reputational risk for ASEAN. The Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia commits its parties to sovereignty, territorial integrity, non-interference and the peaceful settlement of disputes – principles that Russia’s invasion has clearly breached.
Putin’s assertion in Kazan that Russia and ASEAN share “common moral values” and “respect each other’s national identities” rings hollow and sharpens the contradictions between Russia’s rhetoric and its actions. One can only imagine what the citizens of Ukraine would be thinking.
Read the full article here
