Leaders from across Southeast Asia are arriving in Kazan on Wednesday as Russian President Vladimir Putin gears up to host the ASEAN-Russia summit.
Leaders from 11 countries including Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore will be attending the meeting, where they are expected to discuss strategic partnerships and potential new areas of political, economic and humanitarian cooperation.
ASEAN, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, was formed in Bangkok in 1967 to promote regional peace efforts and accelerate economic growth.
The other ASEAN member states include Myanmar, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.
In a greeting message to his guests on Wednesday, Putin said the event would mark the 35th anniversary of ASEAN-Russia relations and outlined some of the key issues to be talked over.
