MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is hosting leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations at a summit that opens Wednesday, seeking to bolster business and other ties with members of the regional bloc.

The two-day Russia-ASEAN summit, which is held in Kazan, is set to consider ways to expand Russia’s “strategic partnership” with ASEAN that includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, East Timor and Vietnam.