MOSCOW, July 21. /TASS/. China and other nations have supported Russia’s bid to chair APEC in 2035, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry Marat Berdyev said in an interview with TASS.
"Our bid to host the forum again has been met with enthusiasm and a warm welcome within APEC. China officially expressed its support in the joint statement by the leaders of Russia and the People’s Republic of China in May following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the country. At the recent meeting of APEC senior officials in Shanghai in May, the majority of the forum’s members, including economies with which our relations are currently limited, conveyed the same position to me," he said.
Russia previously chaired the APEC forum in 2012, the diplomat noted. "Many years have passed since then, yet the memory of our chairmanship remains alive and evokes the most positive feelings," he added. "My colleagues at APEC keep coming back to those events. They recall the warm welcome they received in Russia and the professional manner in which the negotiations were organized. Particular praise is given to the meticulous preparation and the rich agenda and program of events. And, of course, there is constant talk of the hospitality, culture, and beauty of our land, from the Hermitage in St. Petersburg to the bay of Vladivostok," Berdyev emphasized.
