Putin to take active part in China's Belt and Road forum - ambassador

BEIJING, May 11. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will take an active part in the work of the Belt and Road international economic forum in Beijing, Russia’s Ambassador to China Andrei Denisov said on Thursday. "Russia welcomes holding this forum in Beijing (which is due) on May 14-15. Given the character of partnership relations between our countries and in line with a personal agreement between the two leaders - Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin - our president will take part in this event and this will be a very active participation," Denisov said. Beijing will host the Belt and Road forum on May 14-15. The forum is expected to bring together top officials from 28 countries, as well as United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Christine Lagarde, and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim. The overall number of participants will exceed 1,200. Speaking on integrating the initiatives of the Belt and Road and the Eurasian Economic Union, Denisov noted that "this is an unprecedented attempt to combine collective plans of economic development on the vast regional space." "This cooperation may become a basis for forming a new integrational contour, namely the Eurasian all-encompassing partnership with participation of a wide range of countries, which are members of the Eurasian Economic Union, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and in the future prospect of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations," the ambassador said. The Silk Road Economic Belt initiative (also called the One Belt, One Road project in China) was put forward by Chinese leader Xi Jinping in 2013. The project aims to create a transport, energy and trade link between Central, South Asia and Europe to intensify scientific and technical cooperation and deepen economic interaction among countries. In 2015, Russia and China signed a declaration on integration of the Eurasian Economic Union and the Silk Road Economic Belt. Currently, the parties are negotiating details of cooperation. Read more