Russia FM hails ties with Beijing in “complicated international situation”
February 28, 2015, 4:51 am

Russian President Vladimir Putin at the meeting between BRICS leaders and South American heads of state with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on 16 July 2014 [PPIO]

“In general, Russia’s cooperation with China on foreign issues … is an important stabilizing factor in the current complicated international situation,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a speech at the Diplomatic Academy in Moscow on Friday.

“Russian diplomacy is consistently pursuing a foreign policy course advocating collective methods of resolving urgent problems,” he added.

This “collective efforts” approach guides the Russian presidency of the BRICS bloc this year.

“BRICS is working on projects for a new development bank and a reserve currency pool, and coordinating the strategy of economic partnership and the roadmap of investment cooperation. BRICS countries are also planning to sign an agreement on cultural ties and to open up new vistas of cooperation,” Lavrov noted.

The Russian Foreign Minister also echoed Chinese comments on the Washington’s national security strategy.

“The new version of the US National Security Strategy adopted recently by US President Barack Obama declares a striving for global domination and a readiness to unilaterally use armed force for the sake of American interests. This 30-page document mentions over a hundred times the issue of the exclusive right of the US to implement the notorious American leadership. As it turns out, they want to convince themselves that this is inevitable. The White House seems to have forgotten about the consequences of the attempts to gain hegemony at the expense of the interests of other members of the world community,” Lavrov said.

Senior Chinese diplomat Qu Xing had said on Thursday that notwithstanding Washington’s military prowess, the US is still insecure, consistently increasing its sphere of influence, including moves to enhance the global distribution of ballistic missile defense systems.

The Chinese envoy alluded to Washington’s national security review system for foreign investors’ mergers and acquisition activities in the States.

The US “is highly sensitive to its own security, while ignoring other countries’ basic security needs and concerns”, Qu added.

Meanwhile, Lavrov on Friday said Russia-China cooperation “reflects similar global stances and the common need for a more democratic, impartial global order”.

Lavrov noted that western partners should take into account the balance of interests and “legal framework” during cooperation with Moscow.

“Problems also occur when we cooperate with China…Each party defends its economic and financial interests …But the final agreements are strictly implemented by both sides,” a statement posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry website stated.

Apart from BRICS, Russia and China are also members of the regional security bloc, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). India and Pakistan have both bid for membership of the SCO.

“Russia and China are interacting within the SCO. Preparation is under way for the SCO summit in Ufa city, where deepening bilateral cooperation and more joint projects will be discussed. The organization’s expansion will also be on the agenda,” Lavrov said on Friday.

TBP