Russia’s initiatives for integration in Eurasia, Asia-Pacific region to be discussed at APEC summit - Kremlin

MOSCOW, November 8. /TASS/. Russia’s initiatives for harmonizing integration processes in Eurasia and the Asia-Pacific region will be included in the agenda of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit scheduled to be held in Vietnam’s Da Nang on November 10-11, in which Russian President Vladimir Putin will participate, the Kremlin press service said in a statement. According to the press service, the APEC leaders plan to consider the current global economic situation and the increasing role of the Asia-Pacific region in ensuring the sustainable and comprehensive growth of the global GDP. "A special focus will be on issues concerning further trade liberalization and the prospects for establishing an Asia-Pacific free trade zone. In this regard, the Russian initiatives for connecting integration platforms developed in Eurasia and the Asia-Pacific region, as well as for including distant territories of the APEC countries in the regional economic system, will also be discussed," the statement reads. Besides, the summit’s participants will exchange views on boosting cooperation in the field of digital economy and enhancing information security. The leaders are expected to adopt a joint declaration. Besides, the Russian president is planned to hold a number of bilateral meetings, the Kremlin press service pointed out. Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov earlier told reporters that on November 10, the APEC leaders would meet with the ASEAN leaders and businessmen. On November 11, the first working meeting of the APEC summit will be held, which is going to be dedicated to the innovation-based growth, sustainable employment, the development of the internet in the region and digital economy. In particular, according to the Kremlin aide, Russia’s initiatives aimed at increasing regional cooperation in the field of digital economy, harmonizing national technical standards and strategies. In addition, there are plans to discuss ways to build cooperation between innovation clusters in the APEC countries. A working lunch will take place after that, with participants discussing APEC’s future, including the establishment of the Asia-Pacific free trade zone and the possible expansion of the forum’s members. "If our leader addresses the event, he will surely pay attention to the regional integration processes and the possibility to boost cooperation between APEC and the Eurasian Economic Union," Ushakov said. The second and the last meeting of the summit will be dedicated to the new driving forces behind global trade and investments, the Russian presidential aide concluded. Read more