The APEC Summit is an annual meeting of the countries of the Asia-Pacific region, at which issues of regional trade and the prosperity of APEC members are resolved. The 24th meeting took place for the first time on the territory of the Russian Federation - on the Russian island a few kilometers from Vladivostok.
The 2012 summit required considerable investments from Russia - the infrastructure on the island was practically undeveloped. The most large-scale buildings are the bridge connecting the Nazimov Peninsula with the Russky Island, as well as the Golden Bridge, which runs through the Golden Horn Bay and connects the Khabarovsk-Vladivostok highway with the island. The construction of hotels, theaters and other infrastructure facilities was launched so that the meeting of the guests was held at the proper level.
According to Vladimir Putin, such a thorough preparation should make it clear to the participating countries that Russia is a country of wide opportunities, cooperation with which is beneficial in economic terms. The plans of the host country of the summit were in the first place in the list of issues discussed. The entire first day of the meeting was devoted to the discussion of strengthening the food security of the Russian Federation. It is planned that the introduction of innovative technologies in agriculture, as well as the stimulation of public-private partnerships, can become a tool for solving this problem.
The representatives of the participating countries are worried about increasing the level of efficiency of response in case of emergencies, support of the trading system and economic integration. Effective methods will be sought to combat poaching of aquatic biological resources.
Foreign and trade ministers at the 2012 summit are summing up the results of APEC's work for the current year, as well as considering plans for the next. This year, Russia invited the rest of the participants to focus on such topical issues as improving transport and logical systems and international cooperation for innovative growth. What tasks will become priorities for the forum in the future - the summit will show.
In the last days of the summit, Russian Ambassador Sergei Lavrov will hold a number of bilateral meetings, including with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Canadian Foreign Minister John Byrd. Representatives of the states will discuss not only economic problems relevant to the summit, but also touch upon topics that no international event can do without - the threat of terrorism and the Syrian crisis.
