Lavrov commends Russia-China cooperation on bilateral, int'l issues

Moscow (Russia), January 15: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday spoke highly of the "unique architecture of Russia-China ties" and Russia's and China's joint efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation and solve international problems.
The annual summits of the national leaders, meetings of the heads of government, and sessions of various commissions at the level of deputy prime minister (premier) "have proved to be very efficient," Lavrov said during his press conference summarizing Russian diplomacy in 2021.
The outcomes of the mechanism "have been thought-through and can be implemented in practice. The mechanism allows us to achieve our goals," he said when answering a question raised by Xinhua.
One of the achievements is the record-high turnover of Russia-China trade in 2021, Lavrov said. The trade turnover surged by 35.8 percent year-on-year to reach nearly 146.9 billion U.S. dollars, according to the General Customs Administration of China.
In the international arena, Russia and China are jointly defending the United Nations Charter, the norms of international law, international fairness and justice, territorial integrity and independence, and upholding the settlement of all crises by diplomatic means and non-interference in the internal affairs of any state, Lavrov said.
The top Russian diplomat positively assessed the alignment of the Eurasian Economic Union and the Belt and Road Initiative.
The two countries are also closely cooperating within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, where Afghanistan and Central Asian issues enjoy special significance, he said.
As Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to visit China early next month, Lavrov said that the two heads of state are expected to cover all aspects of bilateral relations and cooperation during their talks in Beijing.
Source: Xinhua