KhanhHoa (VNA) - The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum shouldhave a long-term vision and Vietnam has put forth various initiatives to helpthe forum keep its right track, an APEC official said on March 1. Dr Alan Bollard, ExecutiveDirector of the APEC Secretariat, made the remarks at a press conferencewhich was held on the threshold of the first APEC Senior Officials Meeting(SOM1) in Nha Trang city, central Khanh Hoa province. Duringthe conference, Dr Bollard and Dr Denis Hew, Director of the APEC Policy Support Unit (PSU), sharedthe views on the context for SOM1 and discussed the outlook for policycollaboration between Vietnam and other APEC economies. DrBollard said the APEC committees and working groups have just finished almost60 technical meetings on a wide range of fields, including trade, investmentand policy, and SOM1 will make a final decision on Vietnam’s proposed prioritiesfor APEC Year 2017. He told the participantsthat Vietnam has proposed four priorities: promoting sustainable, innovative and inclusive growth; deepening regional economic integration; strengthening micro-, small-and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs)’ competitiveness and innovation in the digital age; and enhancing food security and sustainable agriculture in response to climate change. Regardingthe host country’s preparations for the SOM1 and related meetings, Dr Bollard stressedthat Vietnam has made great efforts to organise these events. With 21 members,including both developed and developing economies, Vietnam has spent a lot oftime discussing issues of concern raised by APEC members, he said. OnVietnam’s proposed priorities, including the assistance to MSMEs, PSU Director DrHew noted APEC has carried out many programmes to support MSMEs and this year,APEC is planning to continue helping these enterprises gain easier access to technologyand markets. APECwill also assist MSMEs by promoting trade and policy reform through operationsof APEC working groups and committees such as the Committee on Trade andInvestment (CTI) and the Economic Committee (EC), he added. Asscheduled, the SOM1 will convene in Nha Trang on March 2-3, where seniorofficials from the APEC member economies will decide on Vietnam’s proposals andconsider the outcomes of committees’ and working groups’ meetings. The APEC forum includes 21 members - Australia,Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, Japan, the Republicof Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, thePhilippines, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, the US and Vietnam.-VNA