© Sergei Krasnouhov / Sputnik
"I suggest that we and other Eurasian Economic Union countries should kick-off consultations with members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on a possible economic partnership," said Putin, addressing the Russian Parliament on Thursday.
SCO includes China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan. Other countries holding observer status with the organization include India, Iran, Belarus, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Belarus.
ASEAN unites Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam and other Asian countries.
Putin added that these Asian countries make up a third of the world's economy.
According to the Russian President, the initial phase of the partnership would focus on the protection of investments, optimization of goods moving across borders, joint development of standards for the production of next-generation technology and giving access to services and capital markets.
#TPP tips: What is the Trans-Pacific Partnership and why you should care http://t.co/VfMZzIh8ZN pic.twitter.com/veTcOJLw9O
— RT (@RT_com) October 5, 2015"This partnership should be based on the principles of equality and mutual interest," said Putin.
Such an alliance would boost Russian exports to the Asia-Pacific region; this includes energy, engineering, educational, medical and tourist services, he said. Putin added this would also increase investment in Russia
Half of the ASEAN states have joined TPP except for Indonesia, Philippines, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand. Russia has a comfortable diplomatic relationship with Indonesia, whom is friendlier toward Iran rather than Israel. Would it be difficult for the countries of ASEAN who had pledged with the US in TPP to also side with Russian bloc? And if India, Pakistan, Iran and Indonesia join the SCO, then it will have more real GDP and population (market) than TPP, not including most Moslem, Hindu, and Budhist; if we religiously demo-graph the member states.