Russia pivotal in promoting multilateralism – Asia bloc chief (VIDEO)

The Asia Cooperation Dialogue intends to ramp up partnership with BRICS and other regional groups, Nasser Al-Motairi has told RT

Russia has always been a force for “constructive dialogue” in the international arena, Nasser Al-Motairi, the secretary-general of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), has told RT.

In an exclusive interview on Sunday, Al-Motairi said that Moscow has always “played an important role in promoting the principles of constructive dialogue and also inclusive cooperation.” Russia is a force for “multilateralism,” he stated.

According to the ACD chief, while there exist “political tensions” and significant economic and educational gaps among Asian nations, the organization is striving to promote diplomacy as a “tool of building bridges between nations” and fostering “mutual understanding, respect of cultural diversity.”

The ACD’s end game is to increase the footprint and influence of Asian nations in the world, Al-Motairi told RT.

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To this end, the organization is planning to step up its cooperation with other major regional groups, such as BRICS. Commenting on the need for such partnership, the official cited global challenges, which “individual countries cannot overcome… alone.”

Al-Motairi, who was on an official visit to Moscow, described his attendance at the Second International Symposium as a way of promoting his organization and its goals. The symposium, held earlier this month in the Russian capital, brought together more than 7,000 experts from the SCO and BRICS countries, the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and the US to develop positive scenarios for the future.

Last Tuesday, the ACD head met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, with the two discussing a “broad range of promising areas of economic and humanitarian cooperation,” according to a ministry statement.