MOSCOW, October 7 (Itar-Tass) - President Vladimir Putin arrives at the Indonesian island of Bali where the 21st summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum opens on Monday.
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said the summit's first working meeting would be dedicated to the role of APEC in strengthening regional economies and the multilateral trading system in the context of preparation for the forthcoming ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization, due to be held in December. "The meeting will be ushered in by the RF President's speech summing up the results of the September summit of the Group of Twenty (G20) in St Petersburg," Ushakov said.
Also on Monday, Putin will address the APEC's Business Summit where he will speak on new sources of stability and long-term economic growth in the Asia-Pacific Region (APR). "This will provide a fine opportunity to promote Russia's approaches to regional integrational processes with due regard for the tasks of socio-economic development of Siberia and the Far East, as well as Russia's participation in the Customs Union and a Eurasian Economic Space which is taking shape," the presidential aide points out.
Apart from economic matters, participants in the forum will touch upon the Syrian problem, although Russian delegation sources do not expect any new initiatives concerning a settlement of the conflict. "The sides will discuss the development of accords and prospects for joint work on this dossier," Ushakov said. The presidential aide recalled that the Syrian problem had been raised at all the latest summits of APEC. "As far as St Petersburg (G20 summit) is concerned, the pressing Syria issue did not prevent a very substantive discussion of all items on the agenda. The issue was not examined at official working sessions but was discussed at a working dinner," he pointed out. "The same will be the case here. I hope the agenda, the items of which were specually prepared and which must be discussed, will be examined, whereas Syria-related matters will be discussed on the sidelines, probably at a working luncheon and during informal contacts between the leaders," Ushakov added.
Putin will arrive at Bali on Monday afternoon, because he worked in Moscow until late at night on Sunday. Prior to his arrival, the Russian delegation will be represented by Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev, who will participate in a session of the Dialogue with members of the APEC BusinessConsultative Council, and by Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov who will meet with the leaders of APEC countries during a working luncheon to discuss matters regarding a stable growth on a fair basis.
After a plenary session, Putin will have a conversation with Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe. The meeting will be a fourth one for the two leaders this year. "It is expected that Putin and Abe will consider matters aimed at giving greater scope to cooperation in trade, economic and investment spheres," Ushakov said.
Putin's programme for Monday provides for a separate meeting with the host of the summit Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. "The two Heads of Stat are expected to discuss basic orientations for Russo-Indonesian trade-and-economi cooperation, and consider ways to step it up primarily that in the investment field," Ushakov said. They are to exchange views on a number of international and regional problems. "Commitment, stated by Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country, to a settlement of the Syrian crisis exclusively in a political way is highly sigificant to the Russian Federation," Ushakov emphasized.
Later in the day Putin and Yudhoyono will see each other at a reception in honour of the leaders of the APEC economics. The reception will be given on behal of the President of Indonesia. The Russian president will have a personal reason to drink a glass of champagne: he marks his 61st birthday on Monday.
The working day of the RF president will not end at that. "Ninety minute before midnight, local time, he is to have a conversation with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. According to Ushakov, "Priority in Russo-Chinese relations is given to raising the quality of economic contacts and stepping up cooperation in hi-tech spheres". "Considerable prospects are connected with widening cooperation in the energy sphere --the deliveries of Russian oil and gas and the export of electricity, and construction of nuclear power facilities," Ushakov added.
Kremlin analysts point out an effective interaction with the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the international arena. "Moscow and Beijing are brought together by proximity or identity of positions on the main issues," the presidential aide pointed out. "Putin and Xi Jinping are planning to discuss global and regional matters of current importance, and tasks of further developing bilateral cooperation," Ushakov said. "They are expected to prioritize coordination of the two countries' actions in the international arena, primarily on such themes as the crisis in Syria, Iran's nuclear programme, and the situation on the Korean Peninsula," he added.
On the second day of the summit proceedings, the Russian President will attend yet another working session of the forum to discuss the themes of interrelatedness. "Russia is interested in joint work with partners for the APR to refine transport, energy and telecommunication infrastructure, harmonize normative-legal systems and ease conditions for professional and tourist exchanges," Ushakov stresssed.
The summit will end on October 8 with a working luncheon and a ceremony marking the promulgation of the summit's final documents -- a Declaration by the Leaders of the APEC economies, and the leaders' Statement in support of a multilateral trading system.
Indonesia has taken up the APEC presidency from Russia. "Priorities of Indonesia's presidency are to develop the initiatives of Russia's presidency in 2012 and are in many respects aimed at implementing the decisions made at the summit in Vladivostok," the Russian presidential aide pointed out. "Under the motto 'Stable APR -- the Engine for Global Growth', the Indonesians have combined the tasks of accelerating the attainment of the Bogor Goals, and ensuring a sustainable growth on a fair basis and deepening interrelatedness throughout the APEC space," he added.
Next summit of APEC will be held in China in 2014.
The following 21 countries and territories of the APR are members of the APEC forum: Australia, Brunei, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Canada, the PRC, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Russia, Singapore, the United States, Thailand, Taiwan, the Philippines, Chile, and Japan.
The APEC economies accont for about 40 percent of the world's population, 57 percent of the world's GDP, and 48 percent of international trade turnover. Consensus in decisionmaking and voluntariness in implementing decisions are the basic principles for APEC activities.