Indonesia To Host 21st APEC Summit In 2013

Indonesia To Host 21st APEC Summit In 2013
SINGAPORE, Nov 16 (Bernama) -- Indonesia will host the 21st Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in 2013, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said here on Monday.President Yudhoyono made the statement at Marina Mandarin Hotel here on Monday morning before leaving for Jakarta after attending a series of APEC meetings, Indonesia's Antara news agency reported."The next APEC meeting will be held in Japan, and then consecutively in the United States, Russia, and in Indonesia in 2013," President Yudhoyono said.The president expressed hope that Indonesia would be a good host country for the 21st APEC summit."I hope our nation will become a good host for the 21st APEC summit in 2013 and to have a wider opportunity as possible from it," the president said.APEC is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim countries to cooperate on regional trade and investment liberalization and facilitation.APEC's objective is to enhance economic growth and prosperity in the region and to strengthen the Asia-Pacific community.The location of the meeting rotates annually among the member economies, and a famous tradition involves the attending Leaders dressing in a national costume of the host member.In January 1989, Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke called for more effective economic cooperation across the Pacific Rim region.This led to the first meeting of APEC in the Australian capital Canberra in November, chaired by Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Gareth Evans.Attended by political ministers from twelve countries, the meeting concluded with commitments for future annual meetings in Singapore and South Korea.The initial proposal was opposed ASEAM countries which instead proposed the East Asia Economic Caucus which would exclude non-Asian countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.The plan was opposed and strongly criticized by Japan and the United States.The first APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting occurred in 1993 when US president Bill Clinton, after discussions with Australian prime minister Paul Keating, invited the heads of government from member economies to a summit on Blake Island.He believed it would help bring the stalled Uruguay Round of trade talks on track.During the meeting in 1994 in Bogor, Indonesia, APEC Leaders adopted the Bogor Goals that aim for free and open trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific by 2010 for industrialized economies and by 2020 for developing economies.