Putin highlights traditions of Russian-Chinese friendship, good-neighborly relations

MOSCOW, October 9. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a message of greetings to a session marking the 60th anniversary of the Russia-China Friendship Association, expressing confidence that traditions of friendship and good-neighborly relations will keep growing. "I sincerely congratulate you on an anniversary of the Russia-China Friendship Association. Established 60 years ago, it became one of the first domestic societies of friendship with peoples from foreign states," the message said. Putin stressed a weighty role of the Association in the development of humanitarian cooperation and direct contacts between Russian regions and provinces of the People’s Republic of China, ties between cities of the two countries, exchanges between nongovernmental organizations. Putin said that owing to the activity of the Association, major joint projects are being translated into life in the domains of culture, art, education and sports. He also emphasized that young people of the two countries are getting increasingly active within the Association. "This inspires confidence that excellent traditions of friendship, mutual understanding and good-neighborly relations, uniting citizens of Russia and China, will be preserved and will grow in the future," Putin said. A founding meeting was held in Moscow on October 29, 1957 to establish the Soviet-Chinese Friendship Association, reflecting years-long fellow feelings of the two peoples. In November 1992, a founding conference was held to set up the Russia-China Friendship Association, successor to the Soviet-Chinese Friendship Association. Read more