Russia and China intend to solve issues related to sanctions within the framework of BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.
"My counterpart [Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi] spoke in great detail about the specific economic gaps that are created as a result of the illegal policy of unilateral sanctions and that we will solve within the framework of BRICS, within the SCO," Lavrov said at a press conference as part of a visit to China.
The Russian top diplomat added he had discussed with his Chinese counterpart the upcoming meetings between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the BRICS and SCO summits.
"We paid special attention, as Minister Wang Yi just noted, to the schedule of contacts at the highest level … We discussed the upcoming meetings of our leaders on the sidelines of various international events, including the BRICS summit in Kazan in October this year and the SCO summit in Astana in June," Lavrov said.
There will certainly be other opportunities to maintain regular political dialogue, the minister added.
In addition, the ministers signed a plan for the next inter-ministerial consultations.
Lavrov noted that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has confirmed his participation in a meeting of BRICS foreign ministers in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod in June.
"In June, there will be a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers in Nizhny Novgorod, in which Wang Yi confirmed his participation, and we will discuss key issues submitted for consideration by our leaders," he said .