VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Thailand, the host of APEC 2022, announced that the annual APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting will take place on November 18 and 19 this year in Bangkok.

The announcement was made after the conclusion of the First APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting last week, where members reiterated their commitment to reinvigorate regional economic integration, reconnect the region, and reassure sustainability for future growth, as noted in a release received from the APEC Secretariat here on Thursday.

"Entering the third year of the pandemic, economic recovery has become a matter of utmost urgency for all member economies," the 2022 chair of APEC Senior Officials, Thani Thongphakdi, said. He is also Thailand’s Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

"We must embrace inclusiveness and sustainability in our growth strategy, balancing between health, the economy, and the environment," he added.

Thailand is aiming to bring physical dynamism back to APEC as it is looking to host APEC ministers and leaders physically this year, he said.

A series of gatherings from November 14 will precede the Leaders’ Meeting: The Concluding APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting, as well as the APEC Ministerial Meeting, which will be attended by trade ministers and foreign affairs ministers, he informed.

Concurrently, the annual APEC CEO Summit will take place during the week, he said.

Next on APEC’s meeting calendar is the Finance and Central Bank Deputies Meeting, which will be held virtually on March 16 and 17, he disclosed.

Preparations are underway in Thailand for hosting the Second APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting and the Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting in the physical format in Bangkok in May this year, he added. (Antaranews)