ABSTRACT
In June 1986, the USSR established diplomatic relations with Vanuatu, an island republic in the South Pacific. It created a Pacific Ocean Department within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The USSR made use of the nuclear issue to further its political involvement in the South Pacific. At a press conference in Singapore, Akil Salimov, an Uzbek, referred to "a common Asiatic heritage" binding the USSR and Southeast Asia and emphasized that "the Soviet Union is an Asian country." He repeatedly declared that USSR's interest in Southeast Asia was primarily of an economic nature and that it sought "mutually beneficial business relations". An agreement was signed to exchange economic information and conduct joint studies on areas in which Soviet technology could be used in Indonesia. The emphasis of the mission was clearly on developing better relations between the USSR and the Association of South East Asian Nations states, especially Indonesia and Thailand.
