GUILIN /China/, March 23. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that he had discussed preparations for high-level and top-level bilateral contacts at the talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
"We discussed in detail ways of further promoting practical cooperation against the backdrop of the current epidemiological restrictions and paid special attention to preparations for top-level and high-level Russian-Chinese contacts. We handed over to our partners a draft joint statement by the heads of state for the 20th anniversary of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China," Lavrov told reporters on Tuesday at a joint news conference with China’s top diplomat.
He described the negotiations as businesslike and specific, stressing that they had been held in a traditionally friendly and confidential atmosphere.
"We said once again that, despite the coronavirus pandemic, Russia and China continued to cooperate closely an fruitfully in practical areas, in the international arena, in fact, in all areas that were identified as priorities by our leaders during contacts between [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin and [Chinese] President Xi Jinping," Lavrov said.
"We will continue to strengthen our relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction," he added.