Russian FM says external forces should not interfere in South China Sea issue

BEIJING -- External forces should not interfere in the South China Sea issue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.

Lavrov, who is in Beijing to attend the fifth Foreign Ministers' Meeting of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), and for an official visit to China, made the remarks during talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

Lavrov said Russia holds that the South China Sea issue should be resolved peacefully through political means, such as negotiations between the parties directly concerned, while external forces should refrain from interfering.

The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and international laws, including the agreements reached between China and ASEAN, are the legal frameworks that should be followed, said Lavrov.

The two foreign ministers agreed that the South China Sea disputes should be resolved through negotiations between parties directly concerned on the basis of respecting historical facts and international laws.

The international community and countries outside the region should contribute to stability in the region, rather than muddy up the situation, they agreed.

Regarding China-Russia ties, Lavrov said the priority of Russia's foreign policy was to develop relations with China.

He said Russia was willing to work with China to prepare for Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to China, and enhance economic and trade, investment, big projects and culture cooperation.

Stressing that China greatly values its cooperation with Russia, Wang said China was ready to work with Russia to ensure the success of Putin's China visit, said Wang.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Sino-Russian Good-Neighborly Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, and the 20th anniversary of the establishment of strategic partnership of coordination, said Wang.

He called on both countries to improve cooperation in the areas of energy, nuclear power, high-speed trains, aviation production and technological innovation as well as people-to-people exchanges.