LIMA /Republic of Peru/, November 14. /TASS/. The program of Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk’s visit to Lima includes a speech at the 31st Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit and a meeting with Peru’s Prime Minister, Gustavo Adrianzen, a TASS correspondent reports.
He added that other bilateral discussions may also take place on the sidelines of the event.
APEC leaders will hold dialogues on November 15. On Saturday, November 16, the leaders are scheduled to meet at the Lima Convention Center to endorse a joint declaration.
Additionally, on Thursday, Overchuk will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Peruvian Navy base on San Lorenzo Island at the military burial site of the Aurora frigate. On Friday, the deputy prime minister is set to attend the inauguration of a memorial plaque dedicated to Russian archaeologist and ornithologist Evgeny Yakovlev.
Russia's goals
The annual APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting is the association’s highest decision-making body, responsible for adopting communiques that summarize the forum’s work over the year and outline future priorities.
According to Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk, head of the Russian delegation to the summit, APEC has successfully maintained its status as a non-politicized platform for discussing the region’s economic issues. A broad range of topics has been set for discussion in Lima, including the elimination of trade barriers, the development of regional transport corridors, digitalization, and the regulation of artificial intelligence.
"As [Russian President] Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin says, we are not refusing dialogue and have not initiated sanctions against anyone, so we are always open to engagement. Of course, the APEC discussion platform is very useful and interesting, providing an exchange of views on the most pressing issues, which are indeed complex, urgent, and in need of resolution. None of the world's economies can address all these issues alone," Overchuk said.
APEC
APEC is a regional intergovernmental forum that was established in 1989. Its main objectives are to strengthen economic integration, expand trade, and increase employment in the region.
APEC includes 19 economies and two Chinese territories - Hong Kong and Taiwan, therefore APEC members are usually referred to as "economies." The secretariat, headquartered in Singapore, performs administrative and technical functions. Russia joined APEC in 1998.