On May 4, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China Qin Gang on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Foreign Ministers’ Council meeting in the state of Goa, India.
The two ministers praised Russian-Chinese relations for the momentum they have gained against the backdrop of growing geopolitical instability. They discussed matters relating to carrying out the agreements resulting from the talks between President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of China Xi Jinping on March 20 and 21, 2023, in Moscow. The agenda also included several topical matters from the bilateral agenda, including specific hands-on cooperation projects.
The two officials exchanged views on the current state of and prospects for developing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, welcoming the collective efforts by its member states to ensure peace and security in Eurasia. They also mentioned the SCO’s growing prestige in international affairs and its key role in the regional security architecture.
During the meeting, Sergey Lavrov and Qin Gang reaffirmed their mutual commitment to stepping up coordination efforts within the UN, the SCO, BRICS, RIC, the Group of Twenty and other key international organisations and dialogue mechanisms. They discussed several hot topics, including efforts to promote a peace settlement in the Ukraine crisis.
The meeting also included a confidential exchange of views on the latest international matters with a focus on the developments in the Asia-Pacific Region considering the fact that extra-regional actors have been increasingly active in seeking to set up various exclusive blocs and formats that undermine the ASEAN-centric security and stability framework in the region.
The two ministers share the view that modern neo-colonialist practices are unacceptable and have a destructive effect on most countries around the world and international relations in general.
As usual, the conversation was constructive and took place in an atmosphere of trust.
Source: Russian MFA
