ASTANA, May 20. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin's state visit to China is a testament to the strategic nature of bilateral relations between Moscow and Beijing, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
"We are meeting just a few days after President Putin's visit to the People's Republic of China. This was his first foreign trip as the head of state after re-election. It emphasized the special nature of our relations, the relations of strategic interaction and comprehensive partnership," Lavrov said. "We sincerely thank our Chinese friends for their cordiality and hospitality, for the warmth we felt throughout the trip, and for the excellent organization," Lavrov said.
The minister noted that the leaders' joint statement on deepening bilateral relations "caused a wide reaction worldwide, including in the UN, and outlined new tasks" in the context of bringing the Moscow-Beijing dialogue to an even higher level.
"We have a very, very busy schedule of contacts. We are waiting for you, dear Mr. Minister, dear friend, at the BRICS Foreign Ministers' meeting in Nizhny Novgorod in less than a month," Lavrov told his interlocutor. "Our leaders will also meet during the SCO summit in July in Astana. We are preparing events to mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations," the minister added.
Lavrov intends to discuss implementing the agreements that came out of Putin’s visit to China with Wang Yi. "Today is a very good opportunity to see how we can use this momentum that our relations received from the talks in Beijing and Harbin without pause, without hesitation, and to make appropriate assignments to our staff," Lavrov said.