Lavrov to pay official visit to China on April 15
MOSCOW. April 14 (Interfax) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will pay a working visit to Beijing on April 15. He will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and negotiate with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.
"S. Lavrov and Wang Yi will have a detailed exchange of opinions about a broad range of pressing global and regional affairs, among them Syria and Afghanistan, and carry on the dialogue pertaining to the Iranian nuclear program and the situation on the Korean Peninsula," the ministry website reports.
Russia and China have similar or identical positions on the majority of global issues and are set to continue the close coordination of their foreign political efforts.
"[The sides] will confer on the interaction at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The sides are working on further development of the SCO as a key element of economic growth and strengthening security in Central Asia," the ministry said.
"The situation in Ukraine will be highlighted. As known, China maintains a balanced and impartial position and demonstrates understanding of the entire combination of factors, including those historic, which have brought about new realities in this region," the ministry reported.
The foreign ministers will give much attention to interaction in global affairs, which is a major area of the bilateral strategic partnership.
"Russia and China advocate a just and democratic world order based on the collective approaches, equality, universal norms and principles of international law. Under the current circumstances the sides reaffirm their understanding and respect for each other's crucial interests and concerns and thereby demonstrate the steady nature of the Russian-Chinese relationship," the ministry said.
Russia and China ascribe great significance to cooperation on multilateral floors, among them the G20, BRICS, the SCO and RIC (Russia, India and China) and proceed from the need for more efficient deterrence of global and regional challenges and sustainable development.
"A major goal of the minister's trip is to prepare a Chinese visit for Russian President Vladimir Putin this year," the report runs.
Apart from the thorough discussion of the arrangement of Putin's visit to China, Lavrov will ponder the schedule of other important bilateral contacts.
"Chinese State Council Premier Li Keqiang will pay an official visit to Russia in fall, and the two prime ministers will hold the 19th regular meeting. Prior to that there will be meetings of intergovernmental commissions preparing regular meetings of the prime ministers and fostering energy and humanitarian cooperation on the level of deputy prime ministers and several dozens of sub-commissions and working groups," the ministry reports.
There will be contacts between the parliament speakers, as well. The sides will hold the next round of bilateral strategic security consultations. They are successfully developing new forms of cooperation, including the dialogue between Russian Volga region and provinces of the upper and middle reaches of the River Yangtze.