Putin coming to Phl for 2015 APEC summit

MANILA, Philippines - Russian officials led by President Vladimir Putin will come to the Philippines for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and other related meetings in November next year.

Russian Ambassador Nikolay Kudashev conveyed this to Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario during a meeting last Monday.

Del Rosario hosted a lunch for the Russian ambassador.

He thanked Kudashev for actively moving forward relations between the Philippines and Russia.

He mentioned remarkable developments in several areas, including political consultations, bilateral trade and tourism.

Del Rosario urged for greater cooperation in agriculture, disaster response, investments, education as well as science and technology.   

For his part, Kudashev thanked the Philippine government for its continued commitment to strengthen ties between the two countries.

The meeting between Del Rosario and Kudashev also set the stage for the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2016.

The ambassador congratulated the Philippines for assuming the APEC chairmanship next year.

Kudashev will soon be completing his tenure in the Philippines. He began his term as Russian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in October 2010. He also served as Third Secretary and later Second Secretary of the Russian embassy from 1992 to 1996.