WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th May, 2023) The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) trade meeting held in Detroit this week failed to reach a joint statement due to disagreements between member states over issues related to the conflict in Ukraine, US Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai said on Friday.
"All APEC ministers responsible for trade agreed to paragraphs 1 - 3 and 5 - 13," Tai said in a chair's statement, which replaced a joint statement. "Paragraph 4 of this document, taken from the APEC Bangkok Leaders' Declaration from November 19, 2022, was agreed to by all member economies except the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation."
Paragraph four of the statement "deplores in the strongest terms" Russia's special military operation in Ukraine and demands Russia's withdrawal from the "territory of Ukraine."
However, the paragraph also notes that there were "other views" and different assessments of the situation and related sanctions. The statement recognizes that APEC is not a forum to resolve security issues, while acknowledging that security issues can have significant consequences for the global economy.
The statement otherwise expresses the sentiment of all APEC ministers responsible for trade, including by reiterating strong commitments to achieving APEC's vision, engaging on climate change issues, advancing economic integration and implementing the APEC internet and Digital Economy Roadmap.
