Rossiya Segodnya holds expert dialogue on technological cooperation with ASEAN

Following the ASEAN summit events in Kuala Lumpur, the Rossiya Segodnya, Sputnik's parent media group, hosted an expert roundtable discussion on Russia-ASEAN: Cooperation in the Field of Innovations, which brought together experts on new technology and digitization from Russia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Cambodia. 
The participants who attended the event at the Rossiya Segodnya press center included Director of the Department of Multilateral Economic Cooperation and Special Projects at the Ministry of Economic Development Nikita Kondratyev, Deputy Director for International Cooperation at ANO Digital Economy Andrei Filippov, and Director of Customer Service at the Russian Export Center Alexei Mudrakov. 
Taking part via videoconference were Chief Operating Officer of the Malaysian Industrial and Governmental High Technology Group (MIGHT) Ida Semurni Abdullah Ali, Executive Director of the Russia-ASEAN Business Council Daniyar Akkaziev (Russia), CEO of the National Development Corporation of the Philippines Saturnino Mejia, Advisor to the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications of Cambodia Ung Sokoudom, Senior Smart City Expert at Thailand's Digital Economy Promotion Agency Non Arkaraprasertkul, аnd Digital Attaché at the Trade Mission of the Russian Federation in Vietnam Artyom Korenevsky. The discussion was moderated by Anastasia Alyamovskaya, project head for the international cooperation directorate of the Rossiya Segodnya media group. 
Director of the Department of Multilateral Economic Cooperation and Special Projects at the Ministry of Economic Development Nikita Kondratyev spoke in his opening remarks about the priorities for attaining technological leadership. “One of our goals is to promote cooperation in science-intensive spheres, where we are using a new mechanism for cooperation between special economic zones, which exist in Russia and in many ASEAN countries. We are preparing a large project jointly with the Association of Clusters and Technology Parks of Russia. We will inform our Asian partners about our preference regimes, and we will try to adjust them to ASEAN conditions so as to simplify businesses’ involvement in investment projects,” Kondratyev pointed out.
He also called on Russian technological companies to become more actively engaged in the operations of the ASEAN-Russia Dialogue Partnership Financial Fund, where businesses can receive grants for promoting their products in the South-East Asian markets.
Chief Operating Officer of the Malaysian Industrial and Governmental High Technology Group (MIGHT) Ida Semurni Abdullah Ali highlighted the importance of applying new technologies. She noted that Malaysia has a special digital economy development program designed to turn the country into a regional leader in the sphere of high technologies. She also expressed the hope that cooperation with Russia will help achieve this goal because Russia and Malaysia have common values and objectives.
Executive Director of the Russia-ASEAN Business Council Daniyar Akkaziev presented his views on the role of cooperation between Russia  and ASEAN countries in the fields of digital security and the development and implementation of AI technologies. He also mentioned the vast potential of cooperation in the so-called creative economy: “There are points of contact in creative economy, for example, on the creation of content, animation production, and relevant software.”
CEO of the National Development Corporation of the Philippines Saturnino Mejia briefed the audience on the Philippines’ involvement in digital transformation, highlighting the importance of technological  exchanges in  this sphere, in particular exchanges between experts. According to him, by establishing ties between professionals, the sides can find those who can really boost their transitioning from theory to practice.
Deputy Director of International Cooperation at ANO Digital Economy Andrei Filippov stated: “E-commerce platforms can play a special role in promoting partnership, offering local producers a chance to emerge on global markets.” He believes that “it will be extremely useful to create such digital platforms in various industries.”
Advisor to Cambodia's Ministry of Post and Telecommunications Ung Sokoudom spoke about measures taken his country to combat cyberthreats and protect the people’s personal data. In his opinion, information security issues can only be appropriately addressed in close cooperation with international partners. The number of threats is growing across the world, which is why Cambodia is acting at the regional level to strengthen its stability in the context of these challenges. Cambodia understands that no country alone can deal with these risks, he said. 
Director of Customer Service at the Russian Export Center Alexei Mudrakov pointed out that sustainable development in the Russian IT sector depends on “the maintenance of competitiveness at the level of global leaders.” He also mentioned Russia’s  unique experience in high technology. “No restrictions ever hindered the nationwide development of this sector, which is why our country has accumulated major competencies in cybersecurity, AI, and face and object recognition,” he said.
Senior Smart City Expert at Thailand's Digital Economy Promotion Agency Non Arkaraprasertkul expressed confidence that the quality of city life can be seriously improved with high technologies, adding that wonderful opportunities are opening up in Southeast Asian countries in this sphere.
Digital Attaché at the Trade Mission of the Russian Federation in Vietnam Artyom Korenevsky, who concluded the session, cited examples when Russian technological solutions directly rivaled their Western analogues in Vietnam’s domestic market.
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