Chinese President Jiang Zemin had a telephone conversation Wednesday with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss bilateral ties and plans for a forthcoming security summit also involving four Central Asian nations.
President Jiang and the Russian President "exchanged opinions on cooperation within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in connection with the preparation for its summit in St. Petersburg," the Kremlin press service said in a terse statement.
The summit has been set for June.
The group was formed in Shanghai in 1996 to encourage multilateral cooperation and coordinate the fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism.
It includes China, Russia and four ex-Soviet republics in Central Asia -- Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Jiang and Pution signed a friendship treaty last July during the Jiang's visit to Russia, strengthening the growing ties between the two countries.
( March 21, 2002)
