Security Council Secretary to pay official visit to China

Russian Security Council Secretary Vladimir Rushailo will pay an official visit to China on July 15-20 at the invitation of the PRC's foreign ministry, Oleg Chernov, the official's deputy, reported.

The program of the visit includes meeting with PRC's Chairman Jiang Zemin, Vice Premier Quian Quichen, Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, Defence Minister Chi Haotian.

In the course of consultations the officials are to consider issues of international security and strategic stability in the world.

The sides plan to discuss the problem of Afghanistan and a number of other "hot spots", concerned with the activities of international terrorism, including the Kashmir situation. Oleg Chernov presumed that the issues of adequacy of the foreign presence in the Central Asia would be touched upon at the meeting. He stressed the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's (China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan) important role in ensuring stability in the region.

During the visit another issue under consideration will be continuing work on supplementing the three countries' - Russia, China and India - political collaboration by carrying out cooperation between public organizations, Oleg Chernov remarked.

In principle, Russia and China do not differ in opinion, concerning the existing global arrangement, Oleg Chernov underlined. "We regard China as one of the key aspects of stability and development in Asia and in the world on the whole," he said.