Sergey Lavrov’s talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi

Photo: MFA

Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

On October 14, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss urgent bilateral and international issues on the sidelines of the 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku.

The two foreign ministers spoke highly of the progress in advancing Russia-China comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction, as the two countries mark the 25th anniversary of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation. Sergey Lavrov and Wang Yi compared notes on bilateral political dialogue, focusing on the implementation of agreements reached by the two countries’ leaders, as well as preparations for a series of upcoming engagements at the top level between the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China.

The two sides held an in-depth exchange of views on interaction within CICA and discussed ways to advance this forum.

They underscored the importance of strengthening Moscow-Beijing strategic coordination on the international stage, including at the UN and UN Security Council, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, BRICS, the Group of Twenty, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and other multilateral formats.

The ministers discussed relations with the United States and the developments involving the Ukraine and Iran crises as well.

Sergey Lavrov handed his Chinese counterpart the report, Goebbels’ Heirs: The Falsification of Events in Bucha and the Kiev Regime’s Bloody Staged Provocations, drafted by the International Public Tribunal, which is chaired by Maxim Grigoryev, a member of Russia’s Civic Chamber. The report covers fake claims about an alleged massacre in Bucha disseminated by the Kiev regime.

The talks were held in the spirit of trust and constructive engagement which is typical of Russia-China relations and confirmed close or overlapping positions of the two sides.

Photo: MFA

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks during talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the 7th CICA Summit.

Mr Minister,

My dear friend,

Colleagues, friends,

It is a great pleasure to see you on the sidelines of the summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia. We saw each other not long ago at Cholpon-Ata during a meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers.

The international situation, either in the Middle East, or elsewhere, has not improved since then. We have an excellent opportunity to exchange views on how Russia and China will continue to fulfil the tasks set by our leaders as we further develop the Treaty of Good-Neighbourliness and Friendly Cooperation, the 25th anniversary of which we marked in July.

Our leaders maintain regular contacts and track the efforts to advance our multifaceted partnership and strategic interaction across all areas. President Vladimir Putin and President Xi Jinping met twice this year, first time in May during the Russian leader’s official visit to China, and then in August on the sidelines of the meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State in Bishkek. Next month, President Putin will visit Shenzhen to take part in an APEC summit and, of course, he looks forward to another conversation with his counterpart and friend, Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Our economic interaction is making good strides. Our figures show that bilateral trade was up by 25 percent in the first eight months of this year and there is no doubt that this year will set another record for bilateral trade.

On the international stage, we have repeatedly seen that Moscow-Beijing strategic partnership plays an important stabilising role. Our positions on most regional, international, and global issues either overlap or are very close. This is reflected in our work at the UN and our participation, as permanent UNSC members, in the activities of this key body. The same applies, without a doubt, to the SCO, BRICS, APEC, the G20, our partnership with ASEAN, and many other platforms where our respective ministries must continue working with ever greater enthusiasm and effectiveness. The international situation makes it a necessity.

Once again, I am pleased to see you and to have this opportunity to continue our dialogue.

read more in our Telegram-channel https://t.me/The_International_Affairs