ロシア・中東に言及せず　３年ぶりに声明採択―ＡＰＥＣ閣僚会合

　【ワシントン時事】日米中ロなど２１カ国・地域が参加するアジア太平洋経済協力会議（ＡＰＥＣ）貿易相会合は１８日、ペルー・アレキパで２日間の日程を終え、閉幕した。３年ぶりに共同声明を採択した。ただ、ロシアのウクライナ侵攻や中東情勢などへの直接の言及はなく、海運の混乱やコスト上昇などを挙げ、世界の貿易は「強い逆風に直面している」と懸念を示すにとどめた。
　２０２２年２月にロシアが侵攻を始めて以降、日米など西側諸国とロシアの対立が先鋭化。共同声明がまとまらない会合が続いていた。今会合では、政治的対立が激しい分野を避け、声明採択を優先させた格好だ。（2024/05/19-15:26）

Trade ministers from member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum ended a two-day meeting in Peru on Saturday by adopting a joint statement for the first time in three years.
   The statement had no direct reference on Russia's military aggression against Ukraine or the Middle East situation while saying that global trade "has been facing strong headwinds in recent times" as economic and other challenges "have disrupted shipping, extended trade routes and driven up costs."
   A rift between western members of the APEC forum, including Japan and the United States, and Russia has deepened following the start of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and APEC trade ministers remained unable to adopt a joint statement.
   At the latest meeting, held in the southern Peruvian city of Arequipa, trade ministers prioritized producing a joint statement while sidestepping politically sensitive issues.
   At a press conference Saturday, Peru's commerce and tourism minister Elizabeth Galdo Marin, who chaired the two-day meeting, commended the adoption of the joint statement, saying that consensus cannot always be reached.