Dates for Chile 2004 APEC Year Released - Thailand Preparing for 2003 Ministerial and Leaders Meetings
The schedule of major meetings for the APEC 2004 year hosted by Chile has been released after being presented to the meeting of Ministers Responsible for Trade in Khon Kaen, Thailand, last week.
Beginning with an informal Senior Officials Meeting in Viña del Mar in December this year, Ministerial and Officials' meetings will be held in the cities of Pucon and Valparaiso in 2004 before the Leaders' meeting in Santiago at the end of next year.
Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat, Ambassador Piamsak Milintachinda, who is from the current APEC host economy of Thailand, said APEC 2004 will provide an opportunity to showcase the people and economy of Chile to the world as delegates meet to advance APEC's free trade and investment goals.
"APEC 2003 is proving very beneficial for Thailand on many levels," said Ambassador Milintachinda.
"The cultural interaction that takes place when delegates from 21 economies meet is profound."
"Over the course of an APEC year many delegates will make several visits to a variety of locations in the host economy."
"Delegates take with them knowledge of the host economy and they enrich the lives of the people they meet during their stay."
"There is also the broader exposure of the host economy to the rest of the world. When the Leaders and Ministers from APEC economies come together for multilateral discussions and other APEC business, the world's media follows them."
"This turns the spotlight firmly on the host economy. The culture and economy of the host economy is showcased for region and the world."
"I hope the rewards for Chile hosting APEC in 2004 are as worthwhile as Thailand is experiencing in the current APEC year."
The 2003 APEC Year hosted by Thailand has several events ahead with more ministerial and officials meetings due before the climax of the APEC year when the APEC Leaders meet in Bangkok on 21-22 October.
As the representative from Thailand, Ambassador Milintachinda will serve as the Executive Director for the remainder of the calendar year. Following this, Ambassador Mario Artaza, who is from Chile, will move from his current position of Deputy Executive Director to become the 12th Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat.
Key APEC Event Dates, June 2003 - November 2004
(Current June 10, 2003)
(Current June 10, 2003)
| Meeting | Date, Venue |
| APEC Health Ministers' Meeting | 28 June 2003, Bangkok, Thailand |
| SME Ministers' Meeting | 7-8 August 2003, Chiang Mai, Thailand |
| Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) III | 14-23 August 2003, Phuket, Thailand |
| Finance Ministers' Meeting | 4-5 September 2003, Phuket, Thailand |
| Final SOM, Joint Ministerial Meeting, ABAC, CEO Summit & APEC Leaders' Meeting. | 14-21 October 2003, Bangkok, Thailand |
| Informal SOM | 11-12 December 2003, Viña del Mar, Chile |
| SOM I 23 | Feb. - 3 March 2004, Santiago, Chile |
| SOM II & Ministers' Responsible for Trade | 24 May - 5 June 2004, Pucon, Chile |
| Finance Ministers' Meeting | 2 - 3 September 2004, Santiago, Chile |
| SOM III | 25 September - 4 October 2004, Santiago, Chile |
| Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Ministerial Meeting | 6 - 7 October 2004, Santiago, Chile |
| Final SOM, Joint Ministerial Meeting, ABAC, CEO Summit & APEC Leaders' Meeting | 15 - 21 November 2004, Santiago, Chile |