No decision yet on Putin attending Apec Summit, Russian ambassador clarifies

His clarification came after a source from a security agency said that Putin would attend the Apec Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Bangkok on November 18-19.

"We will make the best decision on whether Russia will send a representative to attend the summit or not," he said, adding that the decision would be made when the summit is near.

He expected the upcoming summit to help relieve tensions among the global community.

Tomikhin added that Russia is eager to cooperate with Apec on digitalisation as digital technologies are necessary for promoting connection in the Asia-Pacific region, such as infrastructure, transportation and logistics.

"It is necessary for Apec members to work on internet and digital economy roadmaps," he said, adding that the business sector should be allowed to participate in this issue as well.

He said Russia is interested to cooperate with Apec members in many fields, such as digitalisation, climate change, Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economy model and free-trade agreements.

He added that Russia is ready to support Thailand on BCG and travel facilitation in the post-Covid-19 era.

"As an Apec member, we will continue promoting long-term cooperation with Thailand in various fields, such as agriculture, nuclear power, industry and medical supplies," he said, adding that Russia is ready to cooperate with other Apec members as well.

He also hoped other Apec members would work in a creative way to get the best results.

Tomikhin advised Apec members not to rely solely on information from western media outlets, saying that geopolitical issues are complicated and cannot be solved with easy solutions.

"I hope Thais pay more attention to information from media outlets in Russia, Asia and the Middle East, which is the only way to create unbiased ideas," he said.

He also wished good luck to Thailand for hosting the Apec Summit, adding that it is an opportunity and challenge at the same time.