Speech by V. V. Tereshkova,President of Russia International Cooperation Associa

First of all, please allow me, on behalf of the Russia International Centre for Scientific and Cultural cooperation under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, the Russia International Cooperation association and the Russia-China Friendship Association, to express my heartfelt thanks for this opportunity to participate in this 50th anniversary celebration of the founding of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, our long partner of cooperation.

For five decades since its founding, the CPAFFC has actively carried out all-directional people’s diplomacy and established relations of friendship and cooperation with nearly 500 organizations and NGOs in more than 130 countries of the world, which earned a high prestige for the organization at home and abroad. It is particularly rejoicing to mention that the very first foreign organization that established relations with the CPAFFC 50 years ago is the organization represented by our delegation.

Since then, we have jointly done a great deal of work. About one thousand celebrations in various forms have been held to mark Russia-China commemoration days, important festivals and bilateral relations. We have exchanged over 200 delegations of representatives of youths, scientific and cultural workers and personages of all walks of life. We have sponsored a number of “round-table meetings”, seminars and informal discussions on topics of humanism、science and technology, economic and trade cooperation, meanwhile assisted personages, organizations and institutions of various circles in our two countries to establish direct links. With the assistance of friendship organizations on both sides, friendshipcity relations have been twinned between many of our regions and cities. The activities we launched in people-to-people diplomacy have played an important promotive role in consolidating state-to-state relations between Russia and China.

The policy of developing long-term strategic partnership of cooperation advanced by leaders of our two countries is pivotal to the system of priority developments in Russian foreign policy, and in full conformity with the fundamental interests of the two peoples. Both Russia and China are major countries with great international influence in the world. We share a boundary of more than 4,000 kilometers, which millions of passengers and millions of tons of goods pass through each year. In the past, at present and in the future, whether the development of Russia or of China or the world structure all depend, to a large extent, on the domestic situation of our two neighboring countries and on the state of our relationship.

The leaders of our two countries signed the Treaty of Good Neighbourliness and Friendly Cooperation on July 16, 2001,which has become the solid legal basis of the strategic partnership of cooperation between the two countries and an important milestone for a new stage in the history of their relations. Today, our two friendship organizations are also faced with the important task of creating conditions to attract the involvement of all our social strata in more comprehensive relations in all fields, and expanding the social basis of this relationship.

It may be pointed out with full confidence that the traditional friendship between the Russian and Chinese peoples as well as the active people-to-people relations add special meaning to our state-to-state relations and promote the implementation of the policies of peaceful coexistence and steady cooperation unaffected by ideology. And this is especially important under conditions of furthering world multipolarization, meeting new challenges and resisting threats to humankind.

We are very glad to see that the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries has always attached great importance to its work concerning Russia. We particularly cherish the fact that Comrade Chen Haosu, president of the CPAFFC, is concurrently president of the China-russia Friendship Association. The contribution he himself made to the development of friendship between our peoples has won high praises not only from various circles in Russia but also from leaders of both countries. Comrade Chen Haosu was awarded the national medal, “Medal of Friendship”, by Russian President Yeltsin himself in 1999.

In conclusion, may I wish the CPAFFC ever greater achievements in the noble cause of increasing mutual understanding and friendship among the peoples and enhancing extensive dialogues with all sectors of society in other countries of the world; may all the staff members of the CPAFFC and the entire Chinese people enjoy peace, happiness and prosperity!