MOSCOW, November 9 (RIA Novosti) – Former US President Bill Clinton, who initiated the first APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, has voiced his support for the organization of Asia-Pacific economies and lauded it as a model for moving forward together in the 21st century, the APEC Secretariat said in a press release.
"APEC is a model of how we should move forward together in the twenty first century," it quoted Clinton as saying in his video remarks ahead of the 2014 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Beijing, which coincides with the 25th anniversary of the organization's founding.
In his speech, Clinton provided "historical context" for the upcoming meeting and spoke on its role in creating "a more inclusive, more secure, more sustainable world for generations to come."
"A little more than twenty years ago, I was honored to convene the very first APEC Leader's Meeting in Blake Island in Washington," he said, adding that the member countries at that time "were entering a new era of globalization, and the Asia-Pacific region was well on its way to becoming the most important source of global growth and dynamism."
"In order to seize the opportunity we had to find ways to work together to advance our shared interests and overcome some common challenges… This meeting has helped to do just that," the former US president said.
The 2014 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting is due to open in Beijing on November 10-11.
