MOSCOW, June 1. /TASS/. The standpoint of Moscow and Beijing on the necessity of a polycentric world order stabilizes the entire system of international relations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a video address to the participants of an international conference on cooperation between Russia and China.
"Nowadays, when a number of Western countries seek to destroy the UN-centric international legal architecture and replace it with their own ‘rules-based order,’ bilateral dialogue on the global arena is particularly important. Moscow and Beijing are consistent supporters of the formation of a more fair, democratic and thus stable polycentric system of the world order <...> The very fact of Russian-Chinese convergence on this issue has had a stabilizing influence on the entire system of international relations," he said.
Moscow is satisfied to note the similar or closely-parallel approaches with Beijing on the absolute majority of contemporary issues along with both nations’ productive interaction at multilateral venues, the Russian top diplomat mentioned. He also emphasized the potential of linking the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) with Beijing’s Belt and Road initiative.
"Among other things, it lays solid groundwork for the formation on our shared continent - from Lisbon to Jakarta - of a new geostrategic blueprint for peace, stability, and economic prosperity, based on the principles of international law and transparency, opened to all countries without exception, including the members of the EAEU, the SCO, ASEAN, and, in the future, also the EU," the foreign minister continued.
"Russian President Vladimir Putin’s initiative to create a Greater Eurasian Partnership is aimed precisely at solving this truly monumental task. We appreciate cooperating with [our] Chinese friends on implementing it in coordination and in parallel with the Belt and Road project," he added.
Russia and China can quickly recover and expand the ties between their citizens after the COVID-19 pandemic, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov added.
"Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic negatively affected the contacts between our citizens. I am confident that as the epidemiological situation stabilizes, we will be able to recover and expand them quickly," he said.
"Aiding the learning of the Russian language in China and the Chinese language in Russia should be an unquestionable priority, in our opinion, as well as the dialogue with the youth, who will soon take over when it comes to developing and multiplying the traditions of the Russian-Chinese partnership," Lavrov pointed out.