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Speaker: H.E. Mr. Mikhail M. Bely

Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Japan

"Russia’s Perceptions of the Asia-Pacific Region"

Date: 11 October 2007

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H.E. Mr. Mikhail Bely graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (1968) and completed his postgraduate studies at Nanyang University, Singapore (1970). He has served in various diplomatic positions including attaché at the USSR Embassy in Singapore, First Secretary at the USSR Embassy in Beijing (China), Counsellor at the USSR Mission to the United Nations (New York), Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Singapore and Republic of Indonesia, the Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and Kiribati. H.E. Mr. Bely took up his appointment as Ambassador to Japan in February 2007.

Roundtable Topic

Russia-Japan relations have a long history, and despite political differences in the past, their cultural, social and scientific exchanges and contacts have been frequently rich and rewarding. 

Today, the strategic stability and sustainable development of the Asia-Pacific Region are of prime importance in the overall foreign policy of Russia. Being territorially part of the Asia-Pacific region, Russia considers the region as vital for ensuring its own comprehensive security and sustained economic development. Several areas of regional involvement are or potentially could significantly advance Russia’s presence in the region, among them energy supplies, transportation services and partnership between regional and subregional groupings.  However, Russia's relations with the Asia-Pacific Region are not strong or stable in all areas - one of Russia's priorities therefore is to develop comprehensive, mutually advantageous cooperation with all countries in Asia-Pacific, including Japan, with which it is yet to sign a peace treaty. Russia strives to create favorable conditions at its eastern frontiers and in the Asia-Pacific region as a whole. With this perspective, she strives to promote mutually beneficial cooperation between Japan and Russia in both the private and public sectors.

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