Ministers of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group on Friday pledged to ensure the world’s energy security as they said most of the member states strongly condemned the war in Ukraine.
The ministers said in a joint statement that this year the world witnessed how “the war in Ukraine greatly affected the global economy, and a discussion took place on this issue.”
The statement added, “We renewed our positions that we expressed in other forums, including the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly, which denounced in the strongest terms the Russian aggression against Ukraine and demanded its complete and unconditional withdrawal from Ukrainian territory.”
He added, “Some member states have strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and stressed that it causes enormous human suffering and exacerbates the current fragile situation of the global economy, as it restricts growth, increases inflation, disrupts supply chains, and exacerbates food and energy insecurity.”
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While the ministers stressed in the statement that APEC is not a forum for resolving security problems, they warned that security problems could have major repercussions on the global economy.
The ministers pledged to “work to promote market-driven economic integration in the region, including work in the Asia-Pacific Free Trade Area (FTAAP) that contributes to the implementation of comprehensive, high-level regional commitments.”
They also pledged to work together to support a transition to sustainable energy that reduces greenhouse gas emissions, while ensuring flexibility, security and access to energy, including facilitating investments in related activities.
The summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum began its work in Bangkok today, Friday, and will end its work on Saturday.
While Western media said that North Korea’s test of an intercontinental missile today disrupted the summit, prompting a number of leaders participating in the summit.
Kamala Harris, US Vice President, called for an emergency meeting of the leaders of Australia, Japan, South Korea, Canada and New Zealand on the sidelines of the summit after North Korea conducted a missile test just an hour before the opening of the summit.