Washington, March 4 (IANS) A senior US diplomat will visit South Korea this week to attend meetings related to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the State Department said, as South Korea will host this year’s APEC summit.
“US Senior Official for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ambassador Matt Murray will travel to Gyeongju and Seoul in the Republic of Korea (ROK) March 5-11 for the First Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM1) and Related Meetings of the APEC Korea 2025 host year,” US Departmnet of State said in a release.
“In the ROK, Ambassador Murray and the US APEC team will advance economic policies in the region that make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous,” the department added. ROK stands for South Korea’s official name, the Republic of Korea, Yonhap news agency reported.
“He will also collaborate with senior government officials, business leaders, and other stakeholders from across the Indo-Pacific to better align US Administration priorities and the ROK’s objectives as host of APEC 2025,” it added.
APEC is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member economies in the Pacific Rim.
It is a regional economic forum established in 1989 to leverage the growing interdependence of the Asia-Pacific.
APEC’s 21 members aim to create greater prosperity for the people of the region by promoting balanced, inclusive, sustainable, innovative and secure growth and by accelerating regional economic integration. APEC cooperative process is predominantly concerned with trade and economic issues, with members engaging with one another as economic entities.
–IANS
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