Second Belt and Road Forum to determine direction of initiative’s development, says ambassador

BEIJING, April 19. /TASS/. The second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will determine the development thrust for the Chinese government’s initiative in the future, Russia’s Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov told a press conference in Friday. "We expect the upcoming international forum to determine the development thrust for the One Belt One Road initiative in the right direction," he said. According to the diplomat, the implementation of the Chinese initiative "has passed the initial stage and moved into a new stage of maturity." "The upcoming forum marks the beginning of a new stage," he added. Denisov noted that the initiative "has come a long way in its development" over the two years since the first Belt and Road Forum was held. "Back then 62 countries participated in it. Currently 124 states and 29 international organizations in one form or another participate in the initiative," he said. The ambassador also expressed hope that "the third, and later the fourth and the fifth Belt and Road Forum" will take place within two years. "We should be aiming at joint efforts, working together, in which case the result will be achieved," the diplomat added. The second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will be held in Beijing on April 25-27. About 40 foreign leaders, representatives of 150 countries and regions of the world, as well as heads of a number of organizations, including the United Nations, are expected to participate in it. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier that President Vladimir Putin would visit the Chinese capital on April 26-27. Read more