By Elena Teslova
MOSCOW (AA) - Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday had his first phone call with his newly appointed Chinese counterpart Qin Gang.
The officials expressed satisfaction over the development of the bilateral political dialogue and practical cooperation, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
They rejected “the US and its satellites’ policy to establish hegemony in world affairs, provoking confrontation between Russia and China for this purpose, interference in their internal affairs, attempts by the West to restrain the development of our countries by imposing sanctions and other illegitimate methods,” the statement said.
Lavrov and Qin stressed the need for a unified approach on fundamental issues of global development, and positively assessed their interactions in international organizations, including the UN, G-20, and BRICS, it added.
They also praised the implementation of plans on integrating the Eurasian Economic Union and China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the statement added.
Lavrov also congratulated Qin on his appointment.
The 56-year-old, who served as Beijing’s ambassador to Washington since July 2021, succeeded Wang Yi as China’s foreign minister this month.
He previously worked as a Foreign Ministry spokesperson and was promoted to the position of deputy foreign minister in 2018.