MOSCOW, August 9. /TASS/. The situation that arose on July 29 in connection with the refusal to five Chinese citizens to enter Russia across the Russian-Kazakh border at a checkpoint in the Astrakhan Region is devoid of any political context and will not affect bilateral relations, while stirring up a fuss would play into the hands of ill-wishers, Alexey Zaitsev, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s deputy spokesperson told a news briefing.
"It is obvious that the incident that took place in Astrakhan is out of the political context," he noted. "I am sure that what happened will in no way affect the general state of bilateral relations. It seems that the hype would play into the hands of our common ill-wishers, who are trying to drive a wedge into the friendship between Russia and China."
Zaitsev said that in connection with the incident close contact is maintained with the Chinese embassy in Moscow, and "the official note from the Chinese side, received on August 7, was forwarded to the Border Guard Service of the Federal Security Service (FSB), whose competences include the issues of crossing the state border."
"Given the considerable volume and diversity of Russian-Chinese ties, it is quite difficult to completely avoid the emergence of certain issues," he stated. "Nevertheless, all such cases are thoroughly and promptly dealt with by the authorities concerned in a friendly manner."
"In general, we would like to note that Russian-Chinese relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation are at an unprecedentedly high level and are the best in history, which allows us to quickly and effectively address any emerging issues, including those concerning practical cooperation," Zaitsev emphasized. "We are mutually interested in fully tapping the tourist potential of the two countries and welcome the arrival of guests from China in every possible way. We are actively working for the prompt restoration of tourist exchanges and the liberalization of visa rules, of course, on the condition of compliance with the legislation governing the entry, exit and stay of foreign citizens. We note that our Chinese partners and we are mutually committed to the consistent development of cooperation and deepening of practical cooperation."