Moscow, April 22 (RFE/RL) - A top aide to Russian President Boris Yeltsin, Dmitri Riurikov, said today that Moscow and Beijing have suspended border talks, ahead of a visit to China by Yeltsin.
Last week, Yeltsin ordered Russian negotiators to speed up talks with their Chinese counterparts over the demarcation of Russia's 3,700 km-long border with China. Riurikov did not say why the talks had halted.
Earlier today, China's ambassador to Russia, Li Fenglin, said demarcation issues had mostly been worked out already. Interfax quoted him as saying, "everything has been weighed up, all the details have been worked out justly and rationally, taking into account the interests of both sides." Yeltsin arrives in China on Wednesday for a three-day visit during which he is to sign up to 10 documents and a political declaration defining principles of bilateral ties and common views on international issues and regional security. Yeltsin and the leaders of the Central Asian countries of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, will also sign a pact with China on confidence-building measures along their common border.
Last week, Yeltsin ordered Russian negotiators to speed up talks with their Chinese counterparts over the demarcation of Russia's 3,700 km-long border with China. Riurikov did not say why the talks had halted.
Earlier today, China's ambassador to Russia, Li Fenglin, said demarcation issues had mostly been worked out already. Interfax quoted him as saying, "everything has been weighed up, all the details have been worked out justly and rationally, taking into account the interests of both sides." Yeltsin arrives in China on Wednesday for a three-day visit during which he is to sign up to 10 documents and a political declaration defining principles of bilateral ties and common views on international issues and regional security. Yeltsin and the leaders of the Central Asian countries of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, will also sign a pact with China on confidence-building measures along their common border.