Russian APEC Year fruitful: FM

MOSCOW - As rotating president of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Russia hosted a number of productive events in a fruitful year, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday.

Ahead of his meeting with other APEC foreign and trade ministers scheduled on September 5 to 6 in the Far Eastern city of Vladivostok, Lavrov said the number of Russian APEC Year events reached record high.

During the rotating presidency, Russia hosted over 90 events, ten of which were ministerial meetings, Lavrov told local media, adding all these meetings were described by foreign partners as "effective and productive."

Russia was also highly praised by its APEC partners for its thorough preparation for the summit, the official added.

Russia took the rotating presidency as a chance to create "necessary external conditions" for its modernization bid and innovative growth, he said.

Some 50 Russian initiatives won support before the summit this week, Lavrov said, adding he was confident agreements reached during Russia's presidency would lay solid foundation for "fruitful" top-level talks at the summit.

Though APEC was set up as a forum for economic negotiations at the beginning, participants would take the chance to discuss a number of international and political issues on the sidelines, such as the crisis in Syria and the nuclear program of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Lavrov said.