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Full text of the message:

“This unique forum has become the starting point in launching wide Afro-Asian cooperation, and has opened the way to the Non-alignment movement, which joined more than half of the world’s country and became an important link in the system of international relations. The goals and tasks declared at the time for the development of Asian and African countries have been recognised as an integral part of the general historical legacy of the 20th century.

The ideas and initiatives of the Bandung conference remain relevant and important in our times. In the era of increasing globalisation processes, the international community faces new threats – international terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, trans-border crime, separatism, illegal trafficking of drugs and weapons, ecological degradation and epidemics. And it is clear that these threats can only be opposed together, acting in coordination and uniting the resources of all authoritative international structures.

Russia highly values the constructive role of Afro-Asian cooperation and the Non-alignment movement in establishing equal access to the achievements of modern civilisation, the regulation of crisis situations, and in overcoming poverty and ignorance.

Additional capabilities for solving these tasks is opened by cooperation on the North-South line. One of the main tasks of your meeting – strengthening Afro-Asian strategic partnership – is in keeping with the call at the Tashkent summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in 2004 to create a partner network of multilateral groups in Asia.

Russia intends to strengthen its traditionally friendly ties with the peoples of Asia and Africa. We have similar approaches towards forming a new, safer and fairer world order, which would make it possible to support stability at global and regional levels, taking into account the interests of all nations and people. And this is a good basis for increasing mutually beneficial cooperation in bilateral and multilateral formats, and the effective realisation of the importance potential of our partnership.

With all my heart I congratulate you on this important anniversary, and I wish you new success on the path to universal peace and prosperity.”

The message was read out on behalf of the President by the deputy chairman of the State Duma Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Artur Chilingarov, who is currently in Indonesia on a state visit.