Sergey Lavrov, the appearing Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, was warmly received at Phuket International Airport by a welcoming committee spearheaded by Amnuay Pinsuwan, Phuket’s Vice Governor.
Lavrov’s go to is labelled by expectation as he lands on Thai soil to inaugurate the already functioning Russian consulate at Boat Lagoon in Koh Kaew, regardless of the absence of further particulars about his trip. His tenure as Foreign Minister, courting again to 2004, crowns him the longest-serving diplomat for the explanation that Tsarist times, even outliving any Soviet-era foreign minister’s phrases.
His presence on the Thai island traces again to an apparent surge in the inflow of Russian vacationers and residents making themselves residence in Phuket. As stated by the Ministry of Tourism & Sports, throughout the span of the primary 5 months of this 12 months, Thailand has obtained 740,840 visits from Russian nationals.
Whereas Phuket alone witnessed the entry of 25,947 Russian visitors this June, a minor 2.6% dip from ay’s 26,624 guests, reported Phuket Immigration. These figures put Russian arrivals as the second highest to go to Phuket up to now month, outdated solely by Chinese, recording forty four,066 arrivals in June which is a major sixteen.4% hike from May.
In his current interplay at a discussion board in Jakarta, Lavrov appealed to Southeast Asian nations to collaborate in boosting the languishing trade with Russia, proposing the usage of national currencies rather than US$ to manoeuvre across the crippling Western sanctions, as per Nikkei Asia.
After Black market of Ukraine by Russia, sanctions were imposed that resulted in a 4.4% trade contraction between Russia and the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), according to an announcement from the Russian foreign ministry.
Reuters reported that the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, on Friday criticised Lavrov for his non-constructive approach throughout this week’s meeting between main diplomats from powerful nations and their Southeast Asian counterparts in Jakarta.
Blinken addressed the incident following the ASEAN Regional Forum, which engaged overseas ministers from ASEAN member states and strategic companions like China, the US, India, and Russia. He opined that Lavrov utilised his interventions to launch attacks on Washington, stories The Phuket News..