BRI Summit: Putin advocates Russia's northern sea route; hails 'dear Friend' Xi Jinping
Also Read: Nepal engulfed in China's debt trap over Pokhara airport deal: Report Putin, a participant in previous Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) summits, led a prominent delegation from Moscow to the event. He emphasized the potential for enhancing trade between the East and West.
Putin also expressed gratitude for Xi's invitation and highlighted Russia's potential to contribute significantly to China's contemporary reinterpretation of the historic Silk Road. “China and Russia have maintained close and effective strategic coordination, and bilateral trade volume has reached a historical high", Chinese President Xi Jinping told Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Reuters reported.
“Political mutual trust between the two countries are continuously deepening", state news agency Xinhua quoted Xi as saying. Moments before Putin began his address, a small group of European delegates, which included former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, reportedly exited the room, according to a Reuters observer.
Also Read: Palestine in focus? Putin to meet Xi Jinping in China amid Hamas-Israel conflict Putin said the BRI fitted with Russia which he said was developing a host of transport infrastructure to crisscross the world's biggest country, notably from the Northern Sea Route which runs from Murmansk near Russia's border with Norway eastwards to the Bering Strait near Alaska. "As for the Northern Sea Route, Russia does not just offer its partners to actively use its transit potential, I will say more: we invite interested states to participate directly in its development, and we are ready to provide reliable ice breaker navigation, communication and supply," Putin said.
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