Russian FM praises interaction with China, G20

MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday that Russia's cooperation with China and the Group of 20 (G20) sets an example for interaction on the international arena.

"I would like to emphasize the important role of Russian-Chinese all-round interaction, which serves as a model for the relations between nations in the 21st century," Lavrov said in an interview with the Italian Panorama magazine.

He pointed out that Moscow and Beijing have cooperated closely both on a bilateral basis and in various multilateral formats, such as the Eurasian Economic Union, Collective Security Treaty Organization, BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Lavrov said that the role of the G20, which brings together the world's major advanced and emerging economies, is increasing.

He said that the Group of Seven, which is no longer capable of solving many problems alone, and BRICS are using the G20 platform to reach agreements on the basis of consensus.

"In principle, the activities of the G20 are the prototype of an institution of a just global governance, based not on dictate, but on finding a balance of interests," Lavrov said.

He said that currently a polycentric system of the world order is being formed with new centers of economic power and political influence emerging and gaining strength.

Polycentricity should facilitate the establishment of mutually beneficial cooperation and fruitful partnerships, Lavrov said.

However, Lavrov said, the new multipolar structure had yet to reach a stable state.

The actions of all international players should not be destructive, but creative and based not on force, but on international law, he said.

It may be possible to effectively solve numerous problems of our time only by joining the capacities of all players and using the support of the United Nations' authority, Lavrov said.