Lima, July 18, 2006.- The Secretary General of the Andean Community, Ambassador Allan Wagner Tizón, met today in his office with the Executive Director of the Asia-Pacific (APEC) Economic Cooperation Forum, Ambassador Tran Trong Toan (of Vietnam), currently on an official visit to Peru.

During the meeting, Ambassador Toan reported on the progress made in preparing for the Sixteenth APEC Summit, which is to be held in Peru in 2008, and expressed his interest in building closer reciprocal relations. 

For his part, Wagner stressed the great importance to the Andean Community of having its Member Countries be members of APEC also, amid the growing rapprochement with the Asia-Pacific, in a process that in being strengthened by the CAN’s current strengthening of relations with Chile. 

He noted that thus far Peru is the only Member Country of the Andean Community to belong to the APEC Forum.  Colombia and Ecuador have expressed their interest in joining and are waiting for the reopening of the incorporation process of new members, which has been placed on hold until 2007. 

In this regard, the CAN Secretary General emphasized the interest of the Andean countries in strengthening their links with the countries in the Asia-Pacific region because of their economic vigor and because of the region offers one of the best opportunities for trade and investment in the world. 

APEC is a cooperation mechanism made up of 21 “Member Economies” that represents 40% of the world’s population and accounts for 66% of the GDP and 50% of total international trade.   

Ambassador Toan is the fourteenth Executive Director of APEC and will remain in that position over the year 2006, while his country occupies the chairmanship of the Forum.  He served formerly as Director General of the Multilateral Economic Cooperation Department of Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador to Malaysia, having also performed diplomatic duties in India.