Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is scheduled to meet with Zhang Ming, the Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), on March 18. This meeting was announced by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova during a briefing.
"On March 18, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry will meet with Zhang Ming, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. He leads the SCO observer mission for the Russian presidential election," Zakharova stated.
The diplomat further elaborated that the meeting between Lavrov and Zhang Ming will cover a broad range of topics related to the SCO's activities and future development. The discussion will focus on practical aspects of enhancing the SCO, addressing security challenges and threats, and fostering trade, economic, cultural, and humanitarian ties.
Zakharova also highlighted the current focus on the upcoming presidential election in Russia, which is already underway in the form of early voting. The Russian Foreign Ministry is actively involved in this process, especially since polling stations have been established abroad.
Earlier, Russian President's Special Representative for SCO Affairs, Bakhtiyer Khakimov, mentioned that Zhang Ming will visit Moscow on March 14 to observe the Russian presidential election. The Federation Council has set the presidential elections for March 17, 2024, with voting lasting three days: March 15, 16, and 17. There are four candidates for the post of the head of state registered by the Central Election Commission: Leonid Slutsky, Nikolai Kharitonov, Vladislav Davankov, and Vladimir Putin.
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Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS