OREANDA-NEWS. April 27, 2009. Beginning of Meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi April 27, 2009:

PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA DMITRY MEDVEDEV: I am happy to see you, and, noting the stable friendship that characterises our countries’ relations, I want to say that they reflect the nature of our ties and the strategic partnership that has developed between the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China.  

I already met with President Hu Jintao this year at the G20 summit in London. We have a busy programme of contacts lined up for this year, including the Chinese President’s visit to Russia and a number of other events in which we will both take part. This makes us very happy, because we think that good friends should meet and consult regularly, all the more so at a time when economic and political considerations make it essential. 

Our foreign ministries have full-fledged ongoing and direct contacts, and you hold consultations on all important issues on the foreign policy agenda. I think this is very important for our countries’ successful development, and I wish you success in this work.    

CHINESE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS YANG JIECHI: Mr President, first of all, I want to thank you for this meeting, and I also want to pass on warm greetings from President Hu Jintao.

Our President is looking forward to his upcoming state visit at your invitation and his meeting with you.

I am here to carry out the political preparations for President Hu Jintao’s upcoming visit to Russia, and for the 14th regular meeting between our countries’ prime ministers and Prime Minister Putin’s visit to China. 

I am very pleased that [Russian Foreign] Minister Sergei Lavrov and I have concluded many agreements on building up our bilateral ties and intensifying exchanges and cooperation in international and regional affairs. 

Your Excellency, like Russia, China is happy with the way our strategic partnership is developing. As we approach the sixtieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries we want to continue building up our cooperation. 

Mr President, I am ready to listen to everything you have to say on developing our bilateral cooperation in international and regional affairs.