MOSCOW, September 6. /TASS/: Thailand hopes that Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the 2022 APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit in November, Thai Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said on Tuesday.
"President Putin regularly attended APEC summits, with the exception of the past three years because of the [COVID-19] pandemic, when the summit meetings were organized online. We hope that the president will be able to attend the APEC summit in November," the Thai minister said speaking at a news conference following his talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Pramudwinai noted that the upcoming APEC summit may offer a perfect opportunity for Russia to announce its policy pivot towards Asia.
"This summit would be an outstanding opportunity for Russia to proclaim about its policy pivot towards Asia and to announce its devotion to the post-pandemic development of the Asia-Pacific region," the minister said.
"We believe that we [Thailand] will offer new dimensions for Russia and Asian states located in the southeast of Asia," Pramudwinai added.
APEC consists of 21 countries. Among them there are the 12 founding states (Australia, Brunei, Indonesia, Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, the United States, Thailand, the Philippines, South Korea and Japan), as well as China (joined in 1991), Mexico and Papua New Guinea (1993), Chile (1994), and Russia, Vietnam and Peru (1998). In 1991, two Chinese territories also joined APEC - Xianggang (Hong Kong) and Taiwan.
Given the association’s specifics that includes both states and territories, APEC members are traditionally referred to as "economies."
The 2022 APEC summit is set to convene in November in Thailand, which previously hosted the organization’s summits in 1992 and 2003.
