Medvedev begins a week-long tour of Southeast Asia

MOSCOW, November 18. /TASS/. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is beginning a week-long tour of Southeast Asia on Wednesday. According to the Cabinet press service, the prime minister will visit the Philippines, Malaysia and Cambodia. Medvedev will make his first stop in Manila where he will take part in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit on November 18 and 19. On Wednesday, Medvedev will brief the participants in the APEC CEO summit on Russia’s approach to the development of trade and investment cooperation in modern conditions. The press service said that Medvedev was also due to take part in the traditional meeting of APEC leaders with the members of the APEC Business Advisory Council and in the informal conversation with the leaders of the Pacific Alliance member countries. According to the information obtained by TASS, talks with Philippine President Benigno Aquino are expected, after which a number of bilateral documents may be signed. On Thursday, November 19, the summit’s plenary meetings will be held, which will focus on deepening the regional economic integration and ways of dealing with demographic and environmental challenges. The Declaration of the APEC economies leaders will be adopted at the summit, which will reflect the coordinated approaches to the development of cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. Originally it was planned that Russia would be represented at the APEC summit by President Vladimir Putin. However, later a decision was taken to optimize the two politicians’ work schedule. Moscow and Manila are separated by five time zones and 8,300 kilometers. So this "job swap" was caused by purely logistical considerations and will in no way affect Russia’s foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific region, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Read more