Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will attend the 16th meeting of the Council of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Heads of Government in the Russian city of Sochi from Thursday to Friday. What will be the highlights of this year's meeting, and where does the future of China-Russia relations lead to? CGTN reporter Zou Yun talked to Dmitrii Lukiantsev, minister counselor of the Russian embassy in China and permanent representative of Russia to the Secretariat of the SCO. 

Lukiantsev said the preparation for the meeting is entering its final stage. In Moscow, national coordinators of the SCO member states are completing the set of documents that will be presented to the governmental heads. 

Lukiantsev told CGTN that Russia has high expectations for the upcoming meeting, since it's considered a special meeting for the member countries within SCO. 

"First of all, this is the first time that India and Pakistan will participate in such a top-level meeting since their admission to the organization in June this year in Astana. We welcome our Indian and Pakistani friends and colleagues. We believe their joining the SCO, their contribution to the SCO work will facilitate all areas of SCO activities."

Lukiantsev said that the major outcome of the Sochi meeting will be the adoption of the joint communique. This traditionally vast and substantive document will contain a consolidated assessment of the state of current global economy, prospects for its development in the future. It will also provide an analysis and review of all the achievements made in economic and humanitarian cooperation between member states.

When asked about the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and what it will mean for cooperation among the SCO member countries, Lukiantsev said that China, Russia as well as other SCO member countries are currently trying to identify a way to intensify economic cooperation. Given the turbulent global economy, there's a great urgency for building economic connections including the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union led by Russia. Lukiantsev told CGTN that even though Russia is not a direct part of the Belt and Road Initiative, the country welcomes and supports this concept.

"This particular topic will be one of the top agenda items in Sochi during the meeting. So yes, there's a big potential for bringing economic relations on the SCO ground with respect both to the Eurasian Economic Union and the Belt and Road Initiative."

There have also been increasing concerns on the level of economic cooperation lagging behind its political cooperation between China and Russia. However, Lukiantsev doesn't think it's a worrying sign. He said China and Russia are enjoying an "unprecedented level of mutual trust and cooperation." In some practical areas, the relations in economic sectors may seem to lag a bit behind, but there's no need to dramatize the situation since both nations have made tremendous achievements in  developing a solid ground for promoting economic and investment cooperation. 

Lukiantsev stressed that the China-Russia partnership is a showcase model for contemporary international relations, with both countries giving foreign policy priories to each other and demonstrating the highest level of political trust.