Chinese, Russian FMs discuss Syria, Korean Peninsula issues

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, held a strategic communication via phone Friday on bilateral ties, the situation in Syria and the Korean Peninsula.

The two foreign ministers pledged to actively implement the consensus reached by the two countries' heads of state on the development of China-Russia relations and to prepare for a series of high-level exchanges in the near future.

The two ministers stressed that China and Russia enjoy solid mutual trust and are ready to strengthen strategic coordination in regional and international affairs.

On the situation in Syria, Wang said the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria should be respected, adding that a top priority of the moment is to conduct an independent, just and professional investigation into the use of chemical weapons in the country. He said he believed that the fact will come to light.

On the Korean Peninsula, Wang said, preventing war and chaos on the peninsula meets the common interests of China and Russia, and pulling all the parties back to the negotiating table is the common goal of the two countries.

China is willing to coordinate closely with Russia to cool down the situation on the peninsula and push the related parties to resume dialogue, he said.

Lavrov said that Russia and China enjoy frequent high-level exchanges, ever deepening mutual trust and fruitful results from bilateral cooperation in various fields.

He said Russia is in favor of a fair investigation into Syria's chemical weapon issue as soon as possible and a resumption of dialogue on the Korean Peninsula issue.

Lavrov said that Russia is willing to continue to keep close strategic coordination and communication with China. Endi