(Bangkok) Delegates from the United States, Canada and three other countries on Saturday boycotted the Russian representative’s opening speech at a meeting of trade ministers of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group in the Thai capital, officials said.
Posted at 1:02 p.m.
A spokeswoman for Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng said Canada pulled out alongside the United States, New Zealand, Japan and Australia during the intervention. Russia.
“Canada has already taken many steps to hold Russia accountable for its devastating invasion of Ukraine, including tough sanctions on Putin and those who allow him – but we must keep up the pressure,” the door stressed by email. -word of the Minister, Alice Hansen.
A Japanese official said Japanese Commerce Minister Koichi Hagiuda and his counterparts left the meeting in Bangkok to protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
A statement from the office of New Zealand’s Minister for Trade and Export Growth, Damien O’Connor, said he was out ‘in protest at Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has slowed recovery economy in the region after COVID-19 and has made it more difficult for people in the region to obtain food”.
A US official in Bangkok confirmed the boycott movement, but did not provide further details. He asked not to be identified. There is a diplomatic sensitivity to talking about the incident because the proceedings took place behind closed doors. US Trade Representative Katherine Tai represents Washington at the meeting.
Thailand is this year’s host country for the meetings of APEC, which comprises 21 members. The two-day meeting of trade ministers ends on Sunday.
The walkout came just as Maxim Rechetnikov, Russia’s economic development minister, was due to deliver his opening speech, a Southeast Asian diplomat said, also speaking on condition of anonymity.
He added that delegates from the five protesting nations and their staff walked out together in what clearly appeared to be a planned action and returned after Mr Rechetnikov had finished his remarks.
Canada added Mr. Rechetnikov to its list of sanctioned Russians in mid-March.
Western countries have imposed harsh diplomatic and economic sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, but many APEC member countries, particularly in Southeast Asia and Latin America, are not. are distant. The war in Ukraine has raised major trade issues, as it has disrupted supply chains, particularly in the food sector.
APEC was launched in 1989 to stimulate growth by promoting economic integration and trade among its members.
With Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo, Nick Perry in Wellington, New Zealand, and David Rising in Bangkok