普京：俄大选不会影响中俄关系
Russia and China will remain strategic partners in the long term regardless of the outcome of the upcoming Russian presidential election, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.
俄罗斯总统普京周四表示，无论即将到来的总统大选是什么结果，从长远来看中俄仍将保持战略合作伙伴关系。
"I am fully convinced that the development of relations with China enjoys a national consensus in Russia, and irrespectively of the outcome of the (Russian presidential) election campaign, Russia and China will remain strategic partners for an extensive historic perspective," Putin told Xinhua during his annual press conference.
Putin reiterated that China's Belt and Road Initiative is perfectly compatible and can be incorporated with the development of the Eurasian Economic Union and Russia's proposals on a broad partnership in Asia.
He highlighted the two countries' major joint projects including projects in the Arctic, liquefied natural gas plants, high-speed railway, high-tech sector and space sector, especially the promising prospects of potential cooperation in developing the Northern Sea Route.
"If we guarantee the use of it all year round, and I hope we may reach this goal quite fast, the circulation of articles between Asia and Europe will be more economically feasible than through the existing routes... Both Russia and China are interested in this," said Putin.