A meeting of trade ministers from the Asia-Pacific region on Sunday ended without a joint statement due to differences over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Japan’s Trade Minister Koichi Hagiuda said.
As a result, Mr Hagiuda said, the outcome of the two-day meeting in Bangkok — which was focused on promoting economic growth in a post-Covid world — will be reflected in the chairman’s statement instead.
“There were big differences when it came to coordinating the wording [of the statement] on Russia among the members,” he said at a press conference after the meeting.
Also discussed in the meeting, which was attended by representatives from 21 nations that make up the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum, were issues which included food security, high energy prices and stronger supply chains, according to officials.
As a sign of protest over Russia’s…
