ANKARA

Russia supports the processes for global peace and order based on international law, true multilateralism, and the central role of the UN, the Russian top diplomat said on Thursday. 

Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers’ Council along with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Uzbekistan's capital Tashkent, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said they see how the world is "transforming towards greater diversity and balance."

"There is a growing number of truly inclusive forms of interaction. This evolution is supported by many states, including Russia, China and most countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, seeking to pursue an independent policy," said Lavrov, according to a Russian Foreign Ministry statement.

He recalled that the two ministers met on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Indonesia's Bali earlier this month, adding that Moscow and Beijing have "friendship proven over the years."

Lavrov also underlined that his country is satisfied with the cooperation under the SCO umbrella.

"We note the steady growth in the geographical scope and content of SCO's activities," he said.

Lavrov emphasized that he is sure the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of member states, which will be held Friday, will lay a "good foundation" for further cooperation and preparation for the upcoming meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO.

"The heads of the Russian and Chinese foreign policy agencies exchanged opinions on the key aspects of the activity of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the prospects of its further development, including the issues of modernizing the association and raising its prestige on the international scene,” the statement said, adding that the ministers also underlined the SCO’s leading role in building regional security and noted the organization’s substantial constructive contribution to peace, stability, and economic development in Eurasia.

The statement said both sides exchanged views on the current situation in and around Ukraine.

Russia-China relations continue developing "dynamically amid the uneasy geopolitical situation," it added.

The ministers also discussed the regional and international issues, including the integration processes in Central Asia and the latest situation in Afghanistan.