Wang Yi and Sergey Lavrov Meet in Tashkent

July 15, 2021 (EIRNS)—China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met on the sidelines of the Central and South Asia Regional Connectivity conference in Tashkent today. The two reiterated their mutual commitment to stronger coordination in the discussions of the various international organizations where strategic policy is coordinated between nations, including the United Nations, the G20, and BRICS.

The Russian Foreign Ministry statement reported that “a thorough exchange of views on topical global and regional problems, including international information security, the situation in Central Asia and the Asia-Pacific region and Iran’s nuclear program took place. Particular attention was paid to the current situation in Afghanistan. They reaffirmed their commitment to facilitating the Afghan settlement process through the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group, taking into account the results of its meeting held within the framework of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers session.” (The latter meetings were held on July 13-14.)

Also at that Shanghai Cooperation Organization conference in Dushanbe, the Russian delegation had lambasted the U.S. policy of the “Indo-Pacific strategy” as a policy of creating an “alliance of democracies” and an attempt to curtail the influence of Russia and China. The delegation stressed, in contrast that the SCO “has confidently secured its positions in the new system of international coordinates” over the past period and is perceived today as “a reliable and predictable partner.” Speaking to the press after their meeting, Lavrov said, referring to the Russian-China Treaty of Friendship, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year: “Let me single out the quote from the statement, which stipulates that our ties today outpace the form of interstate interaction that was the military-political alliances of the Cold War period. This is the most essential benchmark for our relations in all areas without exception.”