MOSCOW, November 9 /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will take part in two major international summits - the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and the G20 meeting - next week. He will also hold a series of separate bilateral meetings with foreign leaders.
President Putin arrived in Beijing on Sunday. He will hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping first in the narrow format. Members of the Russian and Chinese delegations will join the two leaders later. A package of bilateral documents is expected to be signed, President Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov said.
Later on Sunday, the Russian leader will meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet. Both have arrived in China for the APEC summit.
On Monday, Putin will participate in the APEC CEO Summit together with other leaders. He will meet members of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) afterwards. He will also participate in the work of one of the ABAC sections.
The APEC Business Advisory Council is the main dialogue mechanism between the state and business within the APEC framework. The Council comprises three big business representatives from each APEC member state. Members of the APEC Business Advisory Council discuss the same range of economic issues as state leaders but are more focused on economic issues. They present their views and considerations to the presidents and prime ministers. President Putin will hold a series of separate bilateral meetings on Monday. According to Ushakov, Putin is expected to meet Indonesian President Joko Widodo; Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak as well as IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde.
President Putin will attend two working meetings at the APEC summit on November 11, Tuesday. The Forum’s participants will hold a discussion during a working lunch. According to presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, Putin will have a chance to meet Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot briefly.
In his interview with Chinese leading media outlets given ahead of his visit to Beijing on November 6, President Putin said that Russia’s participation in APEC contributed to the development of the Russian economy and the regions of Siberia and the Far East. "Russia actively participates in APEC activities. Full-scale participation of our country in regional integration processes contributes to the development of national economy and social sphere, to the development of the regions of Siberia and the Far East,” Putin said.
Putin stressed APEC’s vital international role. According to him, the forum plays a very important role in regulation of relations in the Asia-Pacific Region.
“Under the current conditions, when some countries prefer to act on the international arena using the methods of political, economic and often even coercive pressure the role of APEC as an effective coordinating mechanism for building a new regional architecture is indispensable,” the Russian head of state went on to say.
According to the president, APEC’s progressive development in recent years clearly indicates that such a forum is needed. He recalled that all common “rules of the game” applied in the trade and economic spheres in the territory of the Asia-Pacific Region are agreed and coordinated within the APEC framework.
“It is worth noting that all the decisions reached within the framework of the Forum are adopted on the basis of the principles of mutual respect, accommodation of the interests of each other, which reflects the spirit of APEC,” President Putin said.
There will be another major event on Putin’s schedule late next week. The president is going to attend a two-day G20 summit to be held in Brisbane, Australia, on November 15-16. Apart from working meetings, Putin is planning to hold separate meetings with British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande. Contacts with other foreign colleagues are also possible.
“Putin has not cancelled any visits and is not giving up any contacts. The most important thing is that they (the contacts) should be meaningful and contributory to bilateral relations and the solution of key problems,” the Russian president’s aide said.
Though Putin is not planning to meet U.S. President Barack Obama separately, the two leaders will still have a good chance to talk “on foot”, Ushakov added.