DA NANG (Vietnam) (Sputnik) — "It will be a very good thing that our citizens will be able to travel to each other without formalities… It is important for our relations," Sergey Lavrov said at their bilateral meeting in Vietnam’s Da Nang.
In 2016, Russia and Brunei agreed to step up work on the creation of a joint investment fund as well as on cooperation in the areas of energy and defense. The Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah noted that these steps would facilitate the implementation of an agreement on easing the visa regime and promote the development of tourism between the two countries.
Lavrov himself has a busy schedule on Wednesday: bilateral talks with his counterparts from New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Brunei. Russia and Brunei signed a treaty on visa-free travel on the sidelines of APEC ministerial meetings. pic.twitter.com/TXro0vJmcM
— Denis Bolotsky (@BolotskySputnik) November 8, 2017
APEC is a trade bloc, and according to 2015 data its member nations account for approximately 59 percent of the world's GDP and 49 percent of world trade. Established in 1989, APEC includes 21 members — namely Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.
The 2017 APEC Economic Leaders’ Week began on Monday and is expected to last through Saturday.
