LIMA, November 22 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev arrived in Lima, Peru on Saturday to attend a two-day summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).
The Russian leader arrived from Lisbon where he met with his Portuguese counterpart Anibal Cavaco Silva and Prime Minister Jose Socrates. The talks focused on the consequences of the global economic crisis, bilateral cooperation between Russia and Portugal and aspects of Moscow's relations with the European Union.
A record number of 3,600 participants have gathered for the forum of the 21-member grouping of Pacific Rim economies, which includes Russia, the United States, China, Japan, South Korea and Australia. Apart from APEC leaders, some 1,000 businessmen are taking part. The largest delegation of around 900 people came from the United States.
Russian presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko said the APEC summit would discuss the ongoing global financial crisis, ways to boost regional economic integration, enhancing corporate social responsibility and various aspects of regional security.
On the sidelines of the summit, the Russian president will hold a number of bilateral meetings with the U.S., Chinese, Japanese and Australian leaders. He is also expected to meet with his Indonesian and Philippine counterparts.
Medvedev will also hold his last bilateral meeting with his U.S. counterpart George Bush, who will step down as president in January.
After the APEC summit, Medvedev will set off for a Latin American tour to last through Thursday. On Monday, he will begin an official visit to Peru, the first in the history of the two countries' relations. The Russian president will later travel to Brazil, Venezuela and Cuba.
"According to our estimates, the demand for Russia as an economic and political partner has been growing in Latin America," Prikhodko said.
The Kremlin aide said Medvedev was planning to take advantage of his Latin American tour to promote Moscow's economic interests and diversify contacts with other countries.
