Putin, Xi Jinping Meet at BRICS Summit, Discuss Settlement in Syria and Fight Against Terrorism

GOA, India– Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping discussed settlement in Syria and joint stance on terrorism on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Indian Goa, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Saturday, Sputnik reported.

“The Russian president and the Chinese president exchanged views on the Syrian issue. Putin informed his Chinese counterpart on local developments,” Peskov told journalists.

He added that the leaders share positions on the fight against terrorism.

“The need for further cooperation to prevent the infiltration of the international terrorism into the territory of Central Asia and through it, was stressed,” Peskov said.

 The eighth summit of BRICS nations has kicked off in Goa, south west India under the slogan “Building Responsive, Inclusive and Collective Solutions.”

The leaders of Russia, India, China, South Africa and Brazil, as well as several guest countries, are meeting at the summit to discuss the strengthening of strategic partnerships, cooperation on Russian and Chinese infrastructure projects, joint measures to fight global terrorism, drug dealing and corruption, and some of “the most important” issues facing the world today.

A declaration outlining the joint position of the BRICS group on the Syrian crisis is expected to be signed during the summit. China has repeatedly backed Russia’s position on the situation in Syria, while India has previously expressed major interest in achieving stability in the Middle East.

H.M