DUSHANBE, July 31. /ITAR-TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping are expected to meet at summits of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Dushanbe and the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation in Beijing, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the SCO states in the Tajik capital on Thursday.

“Chinese and Russian presidents will have new contacts,” Lavrov said, adding that these meetings are expected at a SCO summit in Dushanbe and an APEC summit in Beijing in September.

Lavrov said the May summit in the Chinese city of Shanghai was marked with several major documents adopted at the forum and said with hope that he would succeed to discuss in detail current agreements with the Chinese counterpart and to prepare well meetings between Russian and Chinese presidents.

“We are holding meetings on the sidelines of any international forums in addition to regular visits,” the Russian foreign minister said, addressing to Wang Yi. “This reflects special nature of Russian-Chinese relations,” he said, adding that ties between the two countries can be described as strategic co-operation and diversified partnership.