Chinese FM meets Russian counterpart in Rio de Janeiro

China

Chinese FM meets Russian counterpart in Rio de Janeiro

2025-04-29 13:04 Last Updated At：20:27

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to discuss bilateral ties and BRICS cooperation.

Noting that the international situation has seen many changes recently, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that while change is the norm of the times, the mutual trust and support between China and Russia remains unchanged.

The strategic guidance of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin provides the fundamental underpinning for the sustained and high-quality development of China-Russia relations, he said.

Wang called on the two sides to work together to translate the important consensus reached by the two heads of state into cooperation achievements in various fields.

He noted that the contest between unilateralism and multilateralism is intensifying, and the battle between hegemony and anti-hegemony is unfolding worldwide, adding that the unity and cooperation among BRICS countries is showing growing strategic importance.

As founding members of BRICS, both China and Russia should enhance coordination within the framework of BRICS, deepen unity and cooperation with other developing countries and emerging economies, and continuously raise the international influence and appeal of the greater BRICS, Wang said.

For his part, Lavrov said that, in the face of a rapidly changing world, it is essential for Russia and China to maintain close interactions.

Russia is willing to work with China to help each other organize commemorative events for the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union and the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, while deepening practical cooperation in various fields.

Lavrov provided an update on the latest developments in the Ukraine crisis and reiterated Russia's willingness to engage in peace talks with Ukraine without preconditions.

Wang Yi outlined China's principled position of promoting peace talks.

The two sides discussed strengthening cooperation within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the G20. They also exchanged views on issues such as the Iranian nuclear issue and the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

Iranian foreign minister says situation "fully under control," accuses Israeli intelligence of stoking unrest

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that the situation in Iran is "under total control" following violence linked to protests that spiked over the weekend.

Addressing foreign diplomats in Tehran, the foreign minister noted that armed terrorist groups had infiltrated the protests, attempting to divert them from their legitimate course. He claimed that evidence has been gathered showing Iranian security forces being shot at, with the aim of causing further casualties. He accused the United States and Israel of exploiting the unrest to interfere in Iran's internal affairs.

Araghchi further stated that the government is closely monitoring developments on the streets, emphasizing that "the situation has come under control." He also affirmed that internet services, curtailed during the unrest, would be restored after coordination with security agencies.

The government has engaged in dialogue with merchants and protest representatives and initiated reforms to address grievances related to price hikes and currency depreciation. Iran has taken a series of actions and measures to respond to the demands of peaceful demonstrators, the foreign minister said.

Earlier on Sunday, Araghchi said that clear evidence links recent riots and vandalism of public facilities in Iran to the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. This came after former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mentioned Mossad agents operating on Iran's streets in a social media post. The Iranian foreign minister asserted that police are being attacked by "terrorists" acting under the direction of Israeli operatives, whom Pompeo publicly acknowledged.

The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and U.S. sanctions.