BEIJING, July 31. /ITAR-TASS/. China stands for further development of comprehensive strategic cooperation and partnership with Russia, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday.

He made the statement during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The two top diplomats unanimously agreed to “maintain close strategic contacts and coordinate activities” of the two countries.

As active members of the UN Security Council, China and Russia should maintain close contact on such international and regional issues as Afghanistan, the Korean nuclear problem, the Iranian nuclear program, and Ukraine in order to facilitate their resolution, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

Wang and Lavrov also noted the need to step up cooperation within the SCO and take further steps to advance the common interests of its member states.

The ministers said bilateral meetings and high-level visits in the second half of the year would help to promote political, trade, economic, energy and humanitarian cooperation between China and Russia.