Russia, China favor political settlement in Syria without foreign interference

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he lauded an opportunity to continue an intensive dialogue with China. The Russian minister and his Chinese colleague Wang Yi are expected to discuss the issues, which were set at the talks between the presidents, on the sidelines of the G20 summit currently underway in St Petersburg. The Chinese minister said both countries “are strategic partners. We should maintain close contacts in all fields”. The G20 summit “is very successful and will be a landmark event in the history of relations”, Wang Yi said. He said the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit would gather soon. The Chinese minister said he is hopeful that the summit would be a success and give a positive signal to the international community. The Russian Foreign Ministry reported that Lavrov and Wang Yi had exchanged views on key international and regional issues. “The foreign ministers of both countries revealed the commonness of positions on Syria: they favour the political settlement in Syria without foreign interference,” the ministry reported.