Russian President To Speak Before Asia Pacific Regional Business Community

President Vladimir Putin of Russia is expected to speak before the business community of the Asia Pacific region, a meeting which will be held as part of a Shanghai summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, or APEC. The president will elaborate on Russia's priorities in the development of the APEC forum and the entire Asia Pacific region, Igor Ivanov, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, said in an interview with a Chinese newspaper. As RIA Novosti knows from the Russian foreign ministry, the interview will be published Thursday, the day before the summit. Representing the Russian business community at the forum will be about 40 entrepreneurs, members of the Russian delegation, according to Ivanov. Dominating the upcoming Shanghai forum will be the problem of promoting further economic growth throughout the region on a stable and healthy basis. Moscow believes that APEC should first of all provide its members with an access to benefits of globalization and "new economy", establish a rational system of multilateral trade, and promote the development of economic and technological cooperation, emphasized the Russian minister.