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Contracts with ASEAN nations may be closed other than in dollars, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday on the air with Rossiya 24 TV Channel.

“I think this is a promising area. Our companies already have experience of signing contracts in Russian rubles or in a currency of energy resources beneficiary but not in dollars. For example, we have contracts in yuan. This is promising from standpoint of diversification and will be implemented,” Novak said.

The Russia-ASEAN summit was held in Sochi on May 19-20 and became the biggest international event in Russia in 2016. The summit was held under the slogan “Towards Strategic Partnership for the Sake of the Common Good.”

Russia has been a dialog partner of ASEAN since July 1996. Similar partnership summits are normally held on the territory of member-states and the choice of Sochi as venue for the Russia-ASEAN summit on the partnership’s 20th anniversary was symbolic.