Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov highly praised the relations between Moscow and Vientiane and noted the regular nature of bilateral contacts during his meeting with his Lao counterpart Thongsavanh Phomvihane. Lavrov noted that during the Manila meeting, the ministers will discuss ways to "contribute to the effective implementation" of the tasks set by the leadership of both countries. For his part, the Lao foreign minister also highlighted the regular nature of top-level contacts and called the Russia-ASEAN summit, held in Kazan from June 17 to 19, "very successful." From July 21 to 23, Lavrov is attending the ASEAN foreign ministers' meetings in Manila, including the Russia-ASEAN format, the East Asia Summit (EAS), and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). The foreign ministers of Russia and Laos previously met last July.