Some people can't help asking why Russian President Vladimir Putin should take part in the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia. The answer is that Asia is of special significance to Russia. Representing the combination of European and Asian systems, both geographically and politically, Russia objectively bonds the great expanse of land known as Eurasia.

The Asian part of Russia (West and East Siberia, plus the Far East) accounts for two-thirds of its land area. More than half of Russia's Asian territory is not suited for human habitation because of its severe climate. In winter, temperatures often drop to minus 50-60 C, as a considerable portion of the territory is in the permafrost zone.

The total number of people living between the Urals and Chukotka/Kamchatka Peninsula is a little more than 30 million, or just over 20 percent of Russia's total. For 500 years, Russia's Asian region - primarily, its southern part - has been explored and populated by Russians, Ukrainians, Byelorussians and other nationalities from the European part of the country. It should be noted that the commercial use of the agricultural land - a highly risky endeavor - is an achievement of the working people of this region and highlights their contribution to Russia's development. These and other important factors of the Russian economy and security are mutually beneficial to its Asian neighbors.