DUSHANBE, September 16. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted the invitation extended by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to attend the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, which will be held in Beijing in February, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday at a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
"In the course of the conversation, President Vladimir Putin was delighted to accept Xi Jinping’s invitation to the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing in February 2022. Of course, we hope that the summit will be held in person and that Chinese and Russian athletes will once again prove their highest sports and human qualities," he said.
Lavrov highlighted the historic significance of the Russian-Chinese treaty on friendship. "We are glad to be meeting once again in the year of the 20th anniversary of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation. Our leaders adopted a special statement on this topic on June 28, 2021, where they praised the historic importance of this treaty and especially its role in forming the modern model of bilateral relations," the Russian minister said.
According to the official, Moscow and Beijing are engaged in regular contacts at the highest level as well as between diplomatic agencies and heads of governments. Currently, five inter-governmental commissions on the level of deputy prime ministers are active, he added.
"Today, we can discuss the state of the bilateral relations and tasks for the near future. It is vital to exchange opinions on regional issues. Afghanistan is the talk of the town now, today’s and yesterday’s meetings of the Collective Security Treaty Organization drafted special declarations on this issue," Lavrov said.