Dear Mr. Minister,
Dear friends,
You began your opening remarks by mentioning the recent presidential elections in the Russian Federation. They took place in the context of severe external pressure from the West and an upsurge in terrorist attacks by the Kyiv regime. There has been an increase in the shelling of Russian cities, which has resulted in civilian casualties. Numerous attempts by hackers to hack into our electoral system have been recorded. But the voting was successful. Nothing interfered with the free and record-breaking expression of the will of Russian voters, as the delegation of observers from the Government of the People’s Republic of China was able to see for itself. We are grateful to you for sending your observers to participate in this most important event in Russia.
President Xi Jinping, as you said, was among the first to send congratulations to President-elect Vladimir Putin. We are grateful in general to our Chinese friends for their support and for ensuring the sovereign rights of Russians under the Constitution. The election results have confirmed the deep trust of the Russian people in our leader and in the domestic and foreign policy being pursued. This applies, not least, to the course of strengthening strategic cooperation and partnership with the People’s Republic of China.
We see that thanks to our leaders, Russian-Chinese relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation have reached an unprecedented level, without any exaggeration. With the re-election of Vladimir Putin, the continuity of the line on their comprehensive strengthening has received additional guarantees.
We have paid attention to the high assessment of the ties between Russia and China that you personally gave at a press conference in March of this year.
Our strategic partnership is based on the principles of respectful, equal and trusting dialog and mutual support on issues affecting the fundamental interests of the two countries. As our leaders have repeatedly stated, our cooperation surpasses the military-political alliance of the Cold War era and is not directed against any third country. The proximity and, in most cases, the coincidence of Russia’s and China’s foreign policy approaches to solving the key problems of our time lay the foundation for strengthening strategic coordination on the world stage. Interaction in international affairs allows us to solve common tasks more effectively, both domestically and internationally.
We are now working, as you have said, distinguished Mr. Minister, to shape a more equitable multipolar world order, to develop inclusive and constructive formats of cooperation, including such as BRICS and the SCO, and we are working to consolidate the countries of the Global South to ensure greater justice and fairness in world affairs.
On the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and China. Many activities are being implemented, in particular the Russia-China Cultural Years project. These are opportunities to involve broad social circles in the orbit of bilateral interaction, to deepen mutual understanding and friendship between our peoples.
I thank the Chinese side for its condolences in connection with the terrorist attack in Moscow Region on March 22 this year, for supporting Russia’s fight against terrorism. All those involved will certainly be punished. Our cooperation on counter-terrorism will continue, including within the framework of multilateral institutions.
