APEC Russia 2012
Encyclopedia
The APEC Russia 2012 summit
will be the 24th annual gathering of APEC
leaders. Leaders from the member economies will meet on Russky Island
, off the coast of Vladivostok
, Russia
in 2012.
The summit on Russky Island will see the resort, catering and entertainment facilities, in addition to the renovation and upgrading of Vladivostok International Airport
.
Two giant cable-stayed bridge
s are currently under construction in preparation for the summit, namely the Zolotoy Rog bridge over the Zolotoy Rog
bay in the downtown, and Russky Island Bridge from mainland to Russky Island (which will become the longest cable-stayed bridge
in the world upon completion). The new campus of Far Eastern Federal University will be completed on Russky Island by 2012.
, Russia put forward a proposal to host the 2012 summit. Originally, Patrokl Bay (southern part of Vladivostok) was suggested as the site to hold the summit. The original plan was to build a palace to host the actual summit, and a number of five-star hotels for visitors. After the summit, the palace would be converted into a wedding palace, its conference centre into the Opera, and the hotels into residential buildings. The original estimate for development costs was in the excess of 382 billion rubles
, and included money the city felt was necessary to bring infrastructure such as the sewage system, roads, bridges, and water pipes to up-to-date condition. German Gref
, then-Minister of Economics and Trade, who visited Vladivostok in December 2006 to ascertain the city's readiness to hold the summit, promptly dismissed this plan, stating that the cost estimate was overblown, that he was not responsible for solving the city problems, and further accused the Vladivostok administration of unprofessionalism.
In January 2007, Vladimir Putin
, then-President of Russia, stated that holding a summit in Vladivostok is a distinct possibility, and that at least 100 billion rubles would be required to prepare the city for the summit, which, at the time, was three-times more than the budget of Primorsky Krai
as a whole. On 27 January 2007, Putin visited Vladivostok to participate in a meeting regarding Russia's upcoming rotational presidency of APEC.
The proposal put forward for Russia to hold the 2012 summit on Russky Island
, which was a closed military zone during the Soviet-era, was confirmed at the end of the APEC Australia 2007
summit in Sydney
, Australia
. At a press conference in Sydney, Sergey Darkin, the Governor of Primorsky Krai, estimated the cost of hosting the summit at 147.5 billion rubles, 50% more than previous estimates. The construction of infrastructure serving the summit, by Darkin experts' estimates, would aid the economic development
of the Russian Far East
and would see more than a sixfold increase of the Gross Regional Product
of Primorsky Krai
by 2020.
In February 2008, Governor Darkin announced that the general plan of the city development would incorporate summit preparation activities, and that hosting the summit is not a goal in itself, but rather a tool to strengthen Russia's positions in the Asia-Pacific region
. The construction projects were to include the building of bridges across Zolotoy Rog Bay
and to Russky Island, new roads, modern hotels, a Theater of Opera and Ballet, as well as overall improvements to the city's infrastructure. Later in April, the Governor also stated that the buildings serving the summit would later be efficiently re-purposed. In particular, it was suggested to use the conference centre as a new library, while the hotels would remain to facilitate tourism to the island. Vladivostok International Airport
was also to be modernised. By the end of April, Primorsky Krai received the first amount of 437 million rubles from the federal budget to commence summit preparations.
On 18 December 2007, the results of the contest to create the summit logo were announced. The logo was to conform to three main criteria: it was to be patriotic, to portray the summit as the main cultural and economic event in Primorsky Krai in 2012, and to use the historical and cultural symbols of Primorsky Krai and Vladivostok. The winning emblem was created by Yevgeny Pogrebnyak, a professional designer and a resident of Vladivostok, who was awarded 65,000 rubles in prize money.
On 8 April 2008, Sergey Stepashin, head of the Account Chamber of Russia, visited Vladivostok with the purpose of auditing summit preparation activities. The audit showed that only six out of 36 summit-related construction projects were properly documented. Stepashin also stated that one of the main priorities was the de-criminalisation of the region, as its criminal image may impede the in-flow of investments, and announced that the development of the Russian Far East
region is one of the national priorities of Russia
.
In May 2008, the state expert commission approved the project of building a 3150 metres (10,334.6 ft) suspension bridge
from Vladivostok to Russky Island.
In June 2008, Sergey Stepashin re-iterated the findings of the April audit, explicitly stating that Russia is not yet ready to host the summit. He also stated that in order to rectify the situation, an additional three billion rubles would be necessary to fund the summit preparation activities. Later in June, Dmitry Kozak
, then Minister of Regional Development of Russia, also visited Vladivostok to ascertain the progress. He visited Vladivostok International Airport and Russky Island and concluded that meeting all the deadlines is "entirely possible".
On 30 June 2008, the Administration of Primorsky Krai contracted Pacific Ocean Bridge Company to build a bridge across Zolotoy Rog Bay, a project worth 17.9 billion rubles. On 9 July 2008, Viktor Grebnev, the Executive Director of the company, commented that construction of the other bridge—to Russky Island—would be impossible to accomplish on schedule for "technological reasons", however, Vasiliy Avchenko in Expert
argues that the Russian government will built the bridge at any cost, but on time, in order to demonstrate the island's possibilities. The construction of the Zolotoy Rog bridge commenced on 25 July 2008. On 30 July, plans to build the Theatre of Opera and Ballet on a floating island
were announced by the Administration of Primorsky Krai. The theatre was to seat up to 2,000 people, and the floating island was scheduled for construction on 1 February 2009. 18.8 million rubles were included in the krai budget for the construction of the theatre. Also announced were the plans to build a medical centre in the Vtoraya Rechka residential area. The medical centre would serve the needs of the summit in 2012 and will be converted into a krai hospital after the summit is concluded.
In August 2008, Nikolay Bulayev, head of the Federal Education Agency, visited Vladivostok to visit the site of the future Far Eastern Federal University, the campus of which will be located on the Russky Island. The campus buildings would include an aquarium
, a nature park, a residential area for the students and university personnel. Some of the buildings serving the 2012 summit would also be transferred to the university upon the summit's conclusion. In September 2008, Prime Minister
Putin announced that Russian military installations on the island would be removed and the building of the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University would proceed. On 31 August 2008, President Dmitry Medvedev
signed ukaz №1277 authorising the building of the bridge across the Eastern Bosphorus
to Russky Island, and appointed a contractor for the construction of the bridge which is expected to cost approximately US$1 billion.
In November 2008, Viktor Basargin, the Minister of Regional Development of Russia, visited Vladivostok International Airport and assessed the progress of construction of the bridges and the buildings on the Russky Island. Overall, the Minister was satisfied with the overall progress and the pace of the construction. Basargin announced that everything would be ready on schedule. Due to the global and Russian financial crises, funding of development for the conference, which stands at 351 billion rubles, may be reduced by 25 billion rubles, due to reduction in the price of construction materials and streamlining of works.
Despite these reductions, the Ministry of Finance of Russia
announced in March 2009 that due to the crisis the federal budget is unlikely to have previously committed 202 billion roubles fully available to finance the summit preparation projects. One of the proposed resolutions was to move the summit to St. Petersburg
, as that city's infrastructure is better developed to host the summit and would be less costly. Originally, First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov
did not confirm that such plans exist, although he noted that the scenario is possible. Later in March, however, Shuvalov held a meeting in Moscow dealing with the issues of the summit planning, at which time it was confirmed that the summit will take place in Vladivostok and not elsewhere. During the meeting, the plans for building the theater of opera and ballet and the medical center were moved to an unspecified later date, but the rest of the construction is supposed to continue on schedule.
Summit (meeting)
A summit meeting is a meeting of heads of state or government, usually with considerable media exposure, tight security and a prearranged agenda.Notable summit meetings include those of Franklin D...
will be the 24th annual gathering of APEC
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim countries that seeks to promote free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region...
leaders. Leaders from the member economies will meet on Russky Island
Russky Island
Russky Island is a Russian island off Vladivostok, in the Peter the Great Gulf, Sea of Japan. It is located about 9,334 kilometres east of Moscow. The Eastern Bosphorus separates the island from the Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula....
, off the coast of Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in 2012.
The summit on Russky Island will see the resort, catering and entertainment facilities, in addition to the renovation and upgrading of Vladivostok International Airport
Vladivostok International Airport
Vladivostok International Airport is located near Artyom, Primorsky Krai, Russia roughly an hour's drive north of center of the city of Vladivostok. It was formerly known as Knevichi Airport, named after village Knevichi...
.
Two giant cable-stayed bridge
Cable-stayed bridge
A cable-stayed bridge is a bridge that consists of one or more columns , with cables supporting the bridge deck....
s are currently under construction in preparation for the summit, namely the Zolotoy Rog bridge over the Zolotoy Rog
Zolotoy Rog
Zolotoy Rog Bay is a sheltered horn-shaped bay separated from the Peter the Great Gulf of the Sea of Japan by Shkota Peninsula on the north-west, Cape Goldobina on the east-north-east, and Cape Tigrovy on the west. The bay is seven kilometers long, with a width of about two kilometers and a depth...
bay in the downtown, and Russky Island Bridge from mainland to Russky Island (which will become the longest cable-stayed bridge
Cable-stayed bridge
A cable-stayed bridge is a bridge that consists of one or more columns , with cables supporting the bridge deck....
in the world upon completion). The new campus of Far Eastern Federal University will be completed on Russky Island by 2012.
Site
Preparation
At APEC Vietnam 2006 in HanoiHanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
, Russia put forward a proposal to host the 2012 summit. Originally, Patrokl Bay (southern part of Vladivostok) was suggested as the site to hold the summit. The original plan was to build a palace to host the actual summit, and a number of five-star hotels for visitors. After the summit, the palace would be converted into a wedding palace, its conference centre into the Opera, and the hotels into residential buildings. The original estimate for development costs was in the excess of 382 billion rubles
Russian ruble
The ruble or rouble is the currency of the Russian Federation and the two partially recognized republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Formerly, the ruble was also the currency of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union prior to their breakups. Belarus and Transnistria also use currencies with...
, and included money the city felt was necessary to bring infrastructure such as the sewage system, roads, bridges, and water pipes to up-to-date condition. German Gref
German Gref
German Oskarovich Gref , born February 8, 1964) is a Russian economist of German ethnicity, the founder of Center of the Strategic Development. He was the Minister of Economics and Trade of Russia from May 2000 to September 2007...
, then-Minister of Economics and Trade, who visited Vladivostok in December 2006 to ascertain the city's readiness to hold the summit, promptly dismissed this plan, stating that the cost estimate was overblown, that he was not responsible for solving the city problems, and further accused the Vladivostok administration of unprofessionalism.
In January 2007, Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
, then-President of Russia, stated that holding a summit in Vladivostok is a distinct possibility, and that at least 100 billion rubles would be required to prepare the city for the summit, which, at the time, was three-times more than the budget of Primorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai , informally known as Primorye , is a federal subject of Russia . Primorsky means "maritime" in Russian, hence the region is sometimes referred to as Maritime Province or Maritime Territory. Its administrative center is in the city of Vladivostok...
as a whole. On 27 January 2007, Putin visited Vladivostok to participate in a meeting regarding Russia's upcoming rotational presidency of APEC.
The proposal put forward for Russia to hold the 2012 summit on Russky Island
Russky Island
Russky Island is a Russian island off Vladivostok, in the Peter the Great Gulf, Sea of Japan. It is located about 9,334 kilometres east of Moscow. The Eastern Bosphorus separates the island from the Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula....
, which was a closed military zone during the Soviet-era, was confirmed at the end of the APEC Australia 2007
APEC Australia 2007
APEC Australia 2007 was a series of political meetings held around Australia between the 21 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation during 2007...
summit in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. At a press conference in Sydney, Sergey Darkin, the Governor of Primorsky Krai, estimated the cost of hosting the summit at 147.5 billion rubles, 50% more than previous estimates. The construction of infrastructure serving the summit, by Darkin experts' estimates, would aid the economic development
Economic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
of the Russian Far East
Russian Far East
Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
and would see more than a sixfold increase of the Gross Regional Product
Gross Regional Product
A metropolitan area's gross regional product, i.e. GMP or GRP, is one of several measures of the size of its economy. Similar to GDP, GRP is defined as the market value of all final goods and services produced within a metropolitan area in a given period of time.-See also:*List of European...
of Primorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai , informally known as Primorye , is a federal subject of Russia . Primorsky means "maritime" in Russian, hence the region is sometimes referred to as Maritime Province or Maritime Territory. Its administrative center is in the city of Vladivostok...
by 2020.
In February 2008, Governor Darkin announced that the general plan of the city development would incorporate summit preparation activities, and that hosting the summit is not a goal in itself, but rather a tool to strengthen Russia's positions in the Asia-Pacific region
Asia-Pacific region
Asia-Pacific region may refer to:*Asia-Pacific, a geographic designation*Asia-Pacific Scout Region *Pacific Rim, countries and cities located around the edge of the Pacific Ocean...
. The construction projects were to include the building of bridges across Zolotoy Rog Bay
Zolotoy Rog
Zolotoy Rog Bay is a sheltered horn-shaped bay separated from the Peter the Great Gulf of the Sea of Japan by Shkota Peninsula on the north-west, Cape Goldobina on the east-north-east, and Cape Tigrovy on the west. The bay is seven kilometers long, with a width of about two kilometers and a depth...
and to Russky Island, new roads, modern hotels, a Theater of Opera and Ballet, as well as overall improvements to the city's infrastructure. Later in April, the Governor also stated that the buildings serving the summit would later be efficiently re-purposed. In particular, it was suggested to use the conference centre as a new library, while the hotels would remain to facilitate tourism to the island. Vladivostok International Airport
Vladivostok International Airport
Vladivostok International Airport is located near Artyom, Primorsky Krai, Russia roughly an hour's drive north of center of the city of Vladivostok. It was formerly known as Knevichi Airport, named after village Knevichi...
was also to be modernised. By the end of April, Primorsky Krai received the first amount of 437 million rubles from the federal budget to commence summit preparations.
On 18 December 2007, the results of the contest to create the summit logo were announced. The logo was to conform to three main criteria: it was to be patriotic, to portray the summit as the main cultural and economic event in Primorsky Krai in 2012, and to use the historical and cultural symbols of Primorsky Krai and Vladivostok. The winning emblem was created by Yevgeny Pogrebnyak, a professional designer and a resident of Vladivostok, who was awarded 65,000 rubles in prize money.
On 8 April 2008, Sergey Stepashin, head of the Account Chamber of Russia, visited Vladivostok with the purpose of auditing summit preparation activities. The audit showed that only six out of 36 summit-related construction projects were properly documented. Stepashin also stated that one of the main priorities was the de-criminalisation of the region, as its criminal image may impede the in-flow of investments, and announced that the development of the Russian Far East
Russian Far East
Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
region is one of the national priorities of Russia
National Priority Projects
The National Priority Projects of the Russian Federation is a program of the Russian government set out by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his speech on September 5, 2005. The program is aimed to develop social welfare in Russia by additional funding by the state of four selected projects...
.
In May 2008, the state expert commission approved the project of building a 3150 metres (10,334.6 ft) suspension bridge
Suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
from Vladivostok to Russky Island.
In June 2008, Sergey Stepashin re-iterated the findings of the April audit, explicitly stating that Russia is not yet ready to host the summit. He also stated that in order to rectify the situation, an additional three billion rubles would be necessary to fund the summit preparation activities. Later in June, Dmitry Kozak
Dmitry Kozak
Dmitry Nikolayevich Kozak , is a Russian politician, serving since October 2008 as deputy Prime minister of the Russian Federation....
, then Minister of Regional Development of Russia, also visited Vladivostok to ascertain the progress. He visited Vladivostok International Airport and Russky Island and concluded that meeting all the deadlines is "entirely possible".
On 30 June 2008, the Administration of Primorsky Krai contracted Pacific Ocean Bridge Company to build a bridge across Zolotoy Rog Bay, a project worth 17.9 billion rubles. On 9 July 2008, Viktor Grebnev, the Executive Director of the company, commented that construction of the other bridge—to Russky Island—would be impossible to accomplish on schedule for "technological reasons", however, Vasiliy Avchenko in Expert
Expert (magazine)
Expert or Ekspert magazine is Russia's leading business weekly magazine, established in 1995 in Moscow by a group of editors and journalists who departed from Kommersant publishing house. It covers economics and finance, Russian business, international business, politics, science and technology,...
argues that the Russian government will built the bridge at any cost, but on time, in order to demonstrate the island's possibilities. The construction of the Zolotoy Rog bridge commenced on 25 July 2008. On 30 July, plans to build the Theatre of Opera and Ballet on a floating island
Floating island
A floating island is a mass of floating aquatic plants, mud, and peat ranging in thickness from a few inches to several feet. Floating islands are a common natural phenomenon that are found in many parts of the world. They exist less commonly as a man-made phenomenon...
were announced by the Administration of Primorsky Krai. The theatre was to seat up to 2,000 people, and the floating island was scheduled for construction on 1 February 2009. 18.8 million rubles were included in the krai budget for the construction of the theatre. Also announced were the plans to build a medical centre in the Vtoraya Rechka residential area. The medical centre would serve the needs of the summit in 2012 and will be converted into a krai hospital after the summit is concluded.
In August 2008, Nikolay Bulayev, head of the Federal Education Agency, visited Vladivostok to visit the site of the future Far Eastern Federal University, the campus of which will be located on the Russky Island. The campus buildings would include an aquarium
Public aquarium
A public aquarium is the aquatic counterpart of a zoo, housing living aquatic species for viewing. Most public aquariums feature tanks larger than those kept by home aquarists, as well as smaller tanks. Since the first public aquariums were built in the mid-19th century, they have become popular...
, a nature park, a residential area for the students and university personnel. Some of the buildings serving the 2012 summit would also be transferred to the university upon the summit's conclusion. In September 2008, Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Russia
The Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation The use of the term "Prime Minister" is strictly informal and is not allowed for by the Russian Constitution and other laws....
Putin announced that Russian military installations on the island would be removed and the building of the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University would proceed. On 31 August 2008, President Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
signed ukaz №1277 authorising the building of the bridge across the Eastern Bosphorus
Eastern Bosphorus
Eastern Bosphorus is a strait that separates the Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula and Russky Island, and connects Amur Bay and Ussuri Bay.The depth is up to 50 m...
to Russky Island, and appointed a contractor for the construction of the bridge which is expected to cost approximately US$1 billion.
In November 2008, Viktor Basargin, the Minister of Regional Development of Russia, visited Vladivostok International Airport and assessed the progress of construction of the bridges and the buildings on the Russky Island. Overall, the Minister was satisfied with the overall progress and the pace of the construction. Basargin announced that everything would be ready on schedule. Due to the global and Russian financial crises, funding of development for the conference, which stands at 351 billion rubles, may be reduced by 25 billion rubles, due to reduction in the price of construction materials and streamlining of works.
Despite these reductions, the Ministry of Finance of Russia
Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation
Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation is a federal ministry, responsible for general financial policy and for general management in the field of finance of the Russian Federation. The ministry has two predecessors, the most notable one being the Ministry of Finance of the USSR, the other...
announced in March 2009 that due to the crisis the federal budget is unlikely to have previously committed 202 billion roubles fully available to finance the summit preparation projects. One of the proposed resolutions was to move the summit to St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, as that city's infrastructure is better developed to host the summit and would be less costly. Originally, First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov
Igor Shuvalov
Igor Ivanovich Shuvalov is a Russian lawyer and politician. He currently serves as First Deputy Prime Minister in Vladimir Putin's Second Cabinet. According to the order of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, he is to perform the duty of Prime Minister when Putin is out of office...
did not confirm that such plans exist, although he noted that the scenario is possible. Later in March, however, Shuvalov held a meeting in Moscow dealing with the issues of the summit planning, at which time it was confirmed that the summit will take place in Vladivostok and not elsewhere. During the meeting, the plans for building the theater of opera and ballet and the medical center were moved to an unspecified later date, but the rest of the construction is supposed to continue on schedule.
See also
- Pacific RimPacific RimThe Pacific Rim refers to places around the edge of the Pacific Ocean. The term "Pacific Basin" includes the Pacific Rim and islands in the Pacific Ocean...
- National costumeNational costumeFolk costume expresses an identity through costume which usually to a geographic area or a period of time in history, but can also indicate social, marital and/or religious status...
- East Asia Economic CaucusEast Asia Economic CaucusThe East Asia Economic Caucus or East Asia Economic Group was a regional free trade zone proposed in 1990 by former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad and encompasses the Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, China, South Korea and Japan...
- East Asia SummitEast Asia SummitThe East Asia Summit is a forum held annually by leaders of, initially, 16 countries in the East Asian region. Membership will expand to 18 countries including the United States and Russia at the Sixth EAS in 2011. EAS meetings are held after annual ASEAN leaders’ meetings...
- Asia-Europe MeetingAsia-Europe MeetingThe Asia–Europe Meeting was officially established in 1996 at the first summit in Bangkok. ASEM is an interregional forum which consists of the European Commission, the twenty-seven members of the European Union , the thirteen members of the ASEAN Plus Three regional grouping,, as of 2008, India,...
- ASEAN Free Trade AreaASEAN Free Trade AreaASEAN Free Trade Area is a trade bloc agreement by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations supporting local manufacturing in all ASEAN countries....