APEC Members Prioritize Forging Partnerships

Nusa Dua, Bali (Antara) - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said all members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) had prioritized partnerships to help boost cooperation further. "We are mindful that all APEC members, have built partnerships and displayed a spirit of cooperation since the Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) and following the ministers' talks," Abdurrahman Muhammad Fachir, the Director General of Public Diplomacy and Information at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday. All the meetings held at the SOM level, the ministerial level and the private businesses level had been conducive, especially in the run-up to the leaders' meetings. "Delegates have respectively emphasized the common interest of members," Abdurrahman stated. He pointed out that even if a controversial issue was raised during meetings, all delegates had made efforts to hold back and allow the meeting to return to a cordial state. "We hope that the 20 items that have been agreed upon will be endorsed by the leaders during their meeting," the official said. On Monday, many leaders of APEC countries held bilateral meetings at the summit to discuss their respective economic cooperation initiatives. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott held bilateral meetings with economic leaders from Papua New Guinea, Singapore and Thailand at the Sofital Hotel in Nusa Dua. At a separate venue, South Korean President Park Geun-hye met with the Chinese leaders, while President Susilo Bambang Yudoyono conducted bilateral talks with leaders from Vietnam, Russia, Peru and Japan. During closed-door meetings, each of which lasted about 30 minutes, the economic leaders were expected to discuss efforts to reinforce bilateral economic cooperation, which will be achieved through multilateral cooperation. As per their schedules, Australia's Abott met Canadian and Mexican leaders, while the South Korean President held a bilateral meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. President Yudhoyono, who was accompanied by First Lady Mrs. Ani Yudhoyono, officially greeted the leaders from the 21 APEC member economies on Monday at 8:20 a.m. local time. (*)