MOSCOW, September 19. /TASS/. Communication between the security councils of Russia and China has contributed to formulating a common position toward addressing common issues, said a top Russian security official.

"Regular meetings between [the two] security councils have been making a major contribution to fostering the relationship between Russia and China," Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev told visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Patrushev announced that he would discuss a number of pressing international and regional issues at today’s meeting with Wang. "I am confident that this will consolidate our stances further and bring us closer together in handling common tasks," he told China’s top diplomat.

According to Patrushev, talks under a mechanism for consultations on public security, justice and law enforcement have already been held this year. Also, he said, multilateral constructive cooperation is being maintained at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS, and as part of multilateral consultations on Afghanistan between security council secretaries. Chinese delegations also regularly attend international meetings of high-profile security officials that are organized by the Russian Security Council, with the latest such meeting being held in May following a three-year pause due to the coronavirus, Patrushev concluded.