Lavrov and Russian Trade and Economic Development Minister German Gref will attend a conference of APEC foreign and trade ministers. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said the conference "will be a final stage in the preparation" of the APEC summit that will take place in Busan November 18-19.
"Today, in terms of its format and functional capabilities, the APEC is the most representative (21 participants) and promising economic integration mechanism, setting the 'rules of the game' in the Asia Pacific region, based on the principles of consensus and voluntary participation. The said principles guarantee that APEC decisions do not infringe on anyone's interests, serving as a catalyst for attaining shared objectives," Kamynin said.
Moscow expects the forum to support Russia's bid to join the WTO, also counting on participation in APEC to facilitate Russia's economic development, especially the development of its eastern regions and their "integration into the APEC's economic structure," the ministry spokesman said.
