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ADB President Attends Davos Summit and Visits ADB Annual Meeting Site in Spain
ADB Review [ February 2008 ]

ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda attended the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2008, held from 23-27 January in Davos, Switzerland. The President held bilateral discussions with senior government officials and business leaders, and participated in two interactive sessions on infrastructure and Asian integration.

From Davos, the President traveled to Madrid, Spain, where he reviewed arrangements for the 41^st Annual Meeting which will be held in May; met with the Minister of Economic Affairs, Pedro Solbes Mira, and other senior Government officials; and had an audience with King Juan Carlos. President Kuroda also addressed business leaders and think tanks.

"We can expect that the future of economic cooperation and integration in Asia and the Pacific will continue to be pragmatic and in step with emerging opportunities. The region continues to learn a great deal from Europe's experience. But given its diversity, size, and varying stages of economic development, the path toward regionalism in Asia will naturally build upon developing synergies," he said of Asian regionalism in a speech delivered at the Real Instituto Elcano.

In a speech delivered at the Instituto de Empresa, President Kuroda discussed the prospects of sustaining Asia's prosperity: "While there are downside risks looming, we believe that the Asia and Pacific region can, with diligence, weather the storm and continue along a path of rapid growth and poverty reduction."

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