Chairs' Statement on the 2023 APEC Ministerial Meeting

Chairs' Statement on the 2023 APEC Ministerial Meeting

San Francisco, California, November 14-15, 2023

With regard to the war against Ukraine, we reiterated our respective positions as expressed in other fora, including the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly, which, in Resolution No. ES-11/1 dated 2 March 2022 as adopted by majority vote deplores in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine and demands its complete and unconditional withdrawal from the territory of Ukraine. Most members strongly condemn the aggression against Ukraine and underscore the need to reach a just, and lasting peace based on the principles of the United Nations Charter, including the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and political independence of Ukraine. The war in Ukraine has further aggravated the ongoing food security crisis around the world, especially in developing and least developed countries. We note with deep concern the adverse impact of the war in Ukraine and stress that it is causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy – constraining growth, increasing inflation, disrupting supply chains, heightening energy and food insecurity, and elevating financial stability risks. In this context, the use or threat of use of nuclear weapon is inadmissible.

We exchanged views on the ongoing crisis in Gaza. Ministers, including the United States, shared their respective positions. Some Ministers also shared the united messages of the Joint Arab-Islamic Summit in Riyadh on 11 November 2023.

Some Ministers objected to the inclusion of this language in the accompanying Joint Ministerial Statement of the 2023 APEC Ministerial Meeting on the basis that they do not believe that APEC is a forum to discuss geopolitical issues.