07.10 Putin to Attend APEC Summit on His 61st Birthday
DENPASAR, Indonesia, October 7 (RIA Novosti) Leaders of Indonesia, Japan and China will have a chance to congratulate Russian President Vladimir Putin on his 61st birthday during bilateral meetings on Monday.
Putin, who is to take part in the October 7-8 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bali, Indonesia, will meet with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the first day of the event.
The Russian presidents meeting with his US counterpart Barack Obama was also scheduled to take place during the summit, but the US leader cancelled his trip to Indonesia reportedly due to the US government shutdown.
Moscow expressed hope that US Secretary of State John Kerry, who will take part in the event instead of Obama, meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the event.
Obama also cancelled his visit to last years APEC summit host city Vladivostok in Russias Far East, citing preparations for the presidential race.
