MOSCOW, December 11. /TASS./ Working with Asia-Pacific nations is a strategic priority for Russia, to supercharge the already steamrolling progress of this bright region, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
"For Russia, engagement with the Asia-Pacific region is a strategically prioritized direction, and cooperation within the framework of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) plays a key role. This is not merely our choice, and certainly not a decision made on a whim. We are part of the Asia-Pacific region," the diplomat said at a session summing up the results of the 10th International APEC Women’s Entrepreneurial Projects Competition held in the Federation Council (Russia’s upper house of parliament).
"Moreover, we are a country that has never created dividing lines based on nationality, race, or culture," she continued. "On the contrary, we have always said that our differences and diversity are opportunities for mutual enrichment, that remarkable creative positive energy that becomes a driving force for progress," the diplomat emphasized.
According to Zakharova, the competition once again confirmed Russia’s and the Russian people’s commitment to "promoting and expanding opportunities for women, supporting women’s entrepreneurship, and channeling women’s creative energy into constructive work for the development and prosperity of, in this case, the economies of the entire Asia-Pacific region.".