Саммит АТЭС позволит РФ усилить свои позиции в АТР - эксперт
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit, which will be held in September on Russky Island, is a chance for Russia to demonstrate its capabilities to its APEC partners and to strengthen its positions in the economy of the Asia-Pacific region, claims Gleb Ivashentsov, the deputy director of APEC's Russian Research Center and an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary for the Russian Federation.
"At one time, the founder of St. Petersburg, Peter the Great, opened a window to Europe, and the summit in Vladivostok should throw open the door for Russia to the Asia-Pacific region," he said Thursday during a roundtable at RIA Novosti on the prospects of Russia's chairmanship of APEC.
This roundtable, organized by RIA Novosti in conjunction with APEC's National Business Center (NBC), was held in advance of the next event organized under Russia's 2012 chairmanship of APEC - a session of the APEC Business Advisory Council, which will be held from May 21 to 24 in Kuala Lumpur, under the chairmanship of Ziyavudin Magomedov, the head of the board of directors of Summa Group.
As Ivashentsov noted, Russia, which joined APEC in 1998, is a relatively new member of the forum, and its "participation in the economic affairs of the region, which demonstrates the growth of the economy, is extremely negligible."
"This summit in Vladivostok offers an opportunity to demonstrate our capabilities and to draw our partners into an economic and social partnership," he said.
According to this expert, the success in promoting Russian initiatives is largely the result of cooperation between government and business. And a particularly important achievement is the fact that that Russian business has played an active organizational role in the preparations for the APEC summit and has specific initiatives to offer.
APEC's Business Advisory Council is the forum's key working body, through which APEC interacts with the business community. ABAC's main objective is to develop proposals to create a favorable environment for both trade and investment in APEC, as well technical and economic cooperation. The National Business Center, which was recently established at the initiative of the 2012 ABAC chair, Ziyavudin Magomedov, provides support in the form of analysis and advice to the Russian delegation to ABAC. The NBC's members and partners include VTB Bank, the Skolkovo Foundation, and major Russian and international companies.
Maksim Golovinov, the leading project manager at APEC's National Business Center, said that the business community uses the summit to send a number of proposals to the heads of APEC countries on topics that are priorities for the Russian chairmanship, such as transportation, regional integration, food security, and innovative development.
For example, transportation initiatives are being prepared to improve infrastructure and to speed customs clearance for cargo entering Russia, bringing those procedures into line with international standards, which will increase the traffic capacity of Russian transportation infrastructure. On these projects the NBC works closely with the relevant Russian ministries, in particular the Ministry of Economic Development.
"At one time, the founder of St. Petersburg, Peter the Great, opened a window to Europe, and the summit in Vladivostok should throw open the door for Russia to the Asia-Pacific region," he said Thursday during a roundtable at RIA Novosti on the prospects of Russia's chairmanship of APEC.
This roundtable, organized by RIA Novosti in conjunction with APEC's National Business Center (NBC), was held in advance of the next event organized under Russia's 2012 chairmanship of APEC - a session of the APEC Business Advisory Council, which will be held from May 21 to 24 in Kuala Lumpur, under the chairmanship of Ziyavudin Magomedov, the head of the board of directors of Summa Group.
As Ivashentsov noted, Russia, which joined APEC in 1998, is a relatively new member of the forum, and its "participation in the economic affairs of the region, which demonstrates the growth of the economy, is extremely negligible."
"This summit in Vladivostok offers an opportunity to demonstrate our capabilities and to draw our partners into an economic and social partnership," he said.
According to this expert, the success in promoting Russian initiatives is largely the result of cooperation between government and business. And a particularly important achievement is the fact that that Russian business has played an active organizational role in the preparations for the APEC summit and has specific initiatives to offer.
APEC's Business Advisory Council is the forum's key working body, through which APEC interacts with the business community. ABAC's main objective is to develop proposals to create a favorable environment for both trade and investment in APEC, as well technical and economic cooperation. The National Business Center, which was recently established at the initiative of the 2012 ABAC chair, Ziyavudin Magomedov, provides support in the form of analysis and advice to the Russian delegation to ABAC. The NBC's members and partners include VTB Bank, the Skolkovo Foundation, and major Russian and international companies.
Maksim Golovinov, the leading project manager at APEC's National Business Center, said that the business community uses the summit to send a number of proposals to the heads of APEC countries on topics that are priorities for the Russian chairmanship, such as transportation, regional integration, food security, and innovative development.
For example, transportation initiatives are being prepared to improve infrastructure and to speed customs clearance for cargo entering Russia, bringing those procedures into line with international standards, which will increase the traffic capacity of Russian transportation infrastructure. On these projects the NBC works closely with the relevant Russian ministries, in particular the Ministry of Economic Development.
"We believe that creating public-private partnerships that include foreign partners could significantly stimulate the process of improving the transportation infrastructure, not only in Russia but also in other APEC countries," said Golovinov.
According to a representative of the NBC, the creation of the Partnership for Food Safety was an important victory for Russia. In particular, that program creates a reporting system about the supply and demand for grain, in order to increase the transparency of the market. This partnership is important for Russia because that country is already one of the world's largest grain exporters, yet it also aims to double its exports by 2020. It should be kept in mind that nearly 600 million people in Asia suffer from hunger, according to expert data.
Golovinov noted that ABAC will play an increasingly active role in the future on issues of food security.
According to a representative of the NBC, the creation of the Partnership for Food Safety was an important victory for Russia. In particular, that program creates a reporting system about the supply and demand for grain, in order to increase the transparency of the market. This partnership is important for Russia because that country is already one of the world's largest grain exporters, yet it also aims to double its exports by 2020. It should be kept in mind that nearly 600 million people in Asia suffer from hunger, according to expert data.
Golovinov noted that ABAC will play an increasingly active role in the future on issues of food security.
"There’s an assumption that eventually a significant portion of the agenda on food security will be transferred to the Business Advisory Council," noted Golovinov.
He also said that Russian representatives to ABAC had already announced an initiative to develop the concept of ecological cities.
"The pace of urbanization has increased in APEC in recent years, it's very important that urbanization in these countries follows an optimal scenario - with standards for energy efficiency, cleanliness ...
Our initiative is aimed at the unifying this process within APEC, creating a 'road map,' and devising a way to simulate the development of these cities in Russia," said the expert. He explained that there was a question of updating the legal framework and national building standards, as well as developing a system of incentives and stimulus programs to interest business in the use of new technology.
At the summit in Vladivostok, the recommendations will be forwarded to Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders of the forum's member economies.
The representative of the NBC said that in addition to assisting ABAC, the center is the main organizer of APEC's business summit in Vladivostok, which will attract the participation of over 700 CEOs of the region's biggest companies. Golovinov confirmed that the summit's agenda would reflect all the priorities of the Russian chairmanship.
He also said that Russian representatives to ABAC had already announced an initiative to develop the concept of ecological cities.
"The pace of urbanization has increased in APEC in recent years, it's very important that urbanization in these countries follows an optimal scenario - with standards for energy efficiency, cleanliness ...
Our initiative is aimed at the unifying this process within APEC, creating a 'road map,' and devising a way to simulate the development of these cities in Russia," said the expert. He explained that there was a question of updating the legal framework and national building standards, as well as developing a system of incentives and stimulus programs to interest business in the use of new technology.
At the summit in Vladivostok, the recommendations will be forwarded to Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders of the forum's member economies.
The representative of the NBC said that in addition to assisting ABAC, the center is the main organizer of APEC's business summit in Vladivostok, which will attract the participation of over 700 CEOs of the region's biggest companies. Golovinov confirmed that the summit's agenda would reflect all the priorities of the Russian chairmanship.