Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan and his Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov held talks Thursday in Moscow on the bilateral relations and the international issues of common interest.
The two ministers signed a bilateral consular pact at the end of their talks, saying that the signing of this new agreement is another concrete step forward to the implementation of the Good-Neighborly Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, signed by presidents of the two countries last July.
The agreement is aimed at better protection of the rights and interests of China and Russia and that of the citizens of the two nations, they said.
During the talks, Tang and Ivanov voiced their satisfaction on the smooth development of the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, they both agreed that increased mutual trust in the political field, closer strategic coordination and comprehensive bilateral cooperation in all fields will not only be in keeping with the fundamental interests of the two countries, but also be conducive to peace, security and stability of the world as a whole.
The Chinese and Russian presidents are expected to hold several meetings, and the prime ministers of the two countries plan to hold talks this year, they said, adding those high-level contacts will be of great significance for pushing forward the bilateral ties.
The two countries will cooperate closely for the success of the meetings and talks, they said.
Tang is in Moscow to attend the ministerial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), scheduled for Friday.
The two ministers also exchanged views on the preparations for the SCO summit, to be held in May in the Russian city of St. Petersburg. They maintained that the development in regional and international situation has called for a greater role of SCO, which groups China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
(People's Daily April 26, 2002)
