Indonesian president meets with Putin

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhyono met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the APEC summit here on Monday. Yudhoyono welcomed Putin to the APEC summit, saying that relations between the two countries have continued to develop. "Our meeting this time is aimed at enhancing the cooperation," he said. Sharing Yudhoyono's views, Putin said bilateral relations between the two countries appeared strong. Putin arrived in Bali on Monday afternoon and immediately proceeded to the APEC summit venue. "There are bright prospects in the relations in various fields, including transportation development, industry, and others," he said. Russia played host to 2012 APEC summit in its far eastern city of Vladivostok. The summit, with integrate to grow, innovate to prosper as its theme, strived to promote the prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and ensure its leading position in global economic growth. Since its inception in 1989, APEC has helped to reduce barriers and promote integration in the region. Its 21 member economies are home to more than 2.7 billion people and represent about 53 percent of the world's real GDP and 44 percent of its trade.