Official website of the President of Russia

News   /

Vladimir Putin and Jiang Zemin continued the discussion of practical issues started several days ago and related to preparations for the Chinese leader’s forthcoming official visit to Russia, slated for mid-July.

The Russian President spoke about his impressions and assessments of the Russian-American summit held in Ljubljana. He emphasised, in particular, that there were real prospects for maintaining a useful and constructive dialogue with George Bush. The Chinese leader also confirmed his country’s commitment to such dialogue with the United States.

In discussing issues of strategic stability, Vladimir Putin and Jiang Zemin pointed to the coincidence of Russia and China’s respective positions on these issues and their readiness for further cooperation. The closeness of the two countries’ positions was also reflected in the discussions of other international issues, including the situation in Kosovo and the Balkans as a whole. The leaders stressed the need to ensure the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.