Official website of the President of Russia

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The message reads, in particular:

“I send my greetings to the delegates to the 15th session of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum.

Your meeting is taking place in Moscow for the first time in the long history of this authoritative and influential organisation. I see this as a sign that our partners recognise Russia’s growing role in multilateral cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. I would like to say once again in this respect that Russia has made a principled choice to play an active part in integration and in all-round development of bilateral relations with the countries of the region, and this is an important direction for Russia’s foreign policy.

The Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum’s work is making an ever increasing contribution to strengthening peace and stability in Asia and the Pacific and to facilitating growing trust and mutual understanding between peoples. Such are also the goals of the current session, the agenda for which covers a range of security issues, including international terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and arms smuggling, organised crime, local conflicts, epidemics and energy resource shortages. The prosperity and sustainable development of all the region’s countries depend on resolving these issues.

Many of these subjects were priority issues on the agenda of Russia’s recent presidency of the G8, and they are now the focus of Russia’s attention as the country currently chairing the UN Security Council.

It is my hope that the Moscow session will result in substantial and productive discussion and that the decisions you adopt will reflect the high degree of responsibility the representatives of your various legislatures show for the common future of the region we share.

I wish you successful work”.