Apec Group divided on wars in Ukraine and Gaza
The members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Community (Apec) were unable to agree on a common position on the wars in Ukraine and Gaza at their summit in San Francisco. The two conflicts were left out of the joint final declaration.
In a separate communication from the Apec presidency, it was stated that "most members" strongly condemned Russia's aggression against Ukraine. At their meeting in San Francisco, the member states also "exchanged views" on the crisis in the Gaza Strip and presented their "respective positions". However, some heads of state and government were against including the topics in the final declaration "on the grounds that they do not consider Apec to be a forum for discussing geopolitical issues".
Putin stays away from Apec meeting
The Apec group brings together 21 countries from around the Pacific. In addition to this year's host, the USA, these include China, Russia and Japan, as well as the Muslim-majority countries Malaysia and Indonesia. Around 40 percent of the world's population live in the Apec states. Together, the bloc accounts for around 60 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP). The aim of the group is to strengthen the economic growth of the member states in the Asia-Pacific region by reducing trade barriers.
Russia was represented at the meeting in San Francisco by Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk. Many representatives of the Russian leadership are subject to sanctions due to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Their trips to the West are therefore considered sensitive. Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin had already stayed away from the Apec meeting last year. At the summit in Thailand, the vast majority of Apec countries condemned the war in Ukraine in the final declaration. At the same time, it was also stated that there were also "other views and different assessments of the situation".
Since then, Israel's war against the Islamist Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, has added another international conflict to the mix. In predominantly Muslim countries in particular, there is criticism of the actions of the Israeli military and great solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
Source: www.dpa.com
