ST. PETERSBURG, June 5. /TASS/. The economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) reject attempts by some countries to introduce politicization and confrontational tension and are committed to pragmatic cooperation, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin said at the Russia-APEC session during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
The partners in this format have "enthusiasm and a strong desire to cooperate", and the goal is to reach an open, dynamic community in the Asia-Pacific region by 2040, the high-ranking diplomat said. "This is a pragmatic association," he continued. "However, [sometimes] the atmosphere in it is poisoned by attempts by some countries to politicize, divert from the course, and introduce some kind of confrontational tension. We are dismissing them and, thanks to our like-minded people, we are keeping APEC in line with pragmatic and dynamic movement forward," Pankin stressed.
APEC was the first international platform last year to document the recognition of the importance of relying on a full range of energy sources, the principle of technological neutrality, the role of natural gas in the energy transition and the importance of peaceful nuclear energy, the deputy minister noted. In his opinion, APEC's approaches to energy set the vector for countries in the region and for other states.
