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The heads of state and government of 19 countries, together with the heads of the administrations of Hong Kong and Taiwan, gathered in South Korea for this year’s APEC summit.

One of the main items on the summit agenda this year is the fight against international terrorism and the suppression of channels of financing for terrorist organisations. Also on the agenda for the region’s leaders are the issue of energy security, given the high world oil prices, and the fight against pandemic infectious diseases, including bird flu.

Following their discussions, the heads of state and government of the APEC countries met with the members of the forum’s Business Advisory Council, which brings together the leading businesspeople of the Asia-Pacific region. Russia is represented on the council by Alexander Medvedev, general director of Gazexport, Oleg Deripaska, chairman of the board of directors of Base Element, and Andrei Kostin, the head of Vneshtorgbank.

Closing the first day of the APEC summit’s work, Mr Putin and the other Asia-Pacific region leaders attended an official dinner given by President of the Republic of Korea Roh Moo Hyun.

Before the dinner, the leaders of the APEC member countries visited an IT technology exhibition that presented the latest Korean achievements in robot technology.