MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin told visiting Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli on Thursday that he will gladly attend the Belt and Road Forum for international cooperation in Beijing on May 14 and 15.

China put forward the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, with the aim of building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road land and maritime trade routes.

China views Russia as an important partner among Belt and Road countries, Zhang told Putin, adding that the Chinese government will make good preparations for Putin's attendance.

It is the strategic consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and Putin to integrate the Belt and Road Initiative and Russia's Eurasian Economic Union, Zhang said.

China has attached great importance to Russia's Eurasian Economic Union initiative and ministries in the two countries are in discussions on measures to boost the integration, the vice-premier said.

He called on both sides to accelerate the construction of major energy projects, expand two-way investment and financial cooperation in order to promote the common development.

Putin hailed the rapid growth of two-way trade volume since last year and said bilateral trade structure has improved.

Sound progress has been made in Sino-Russian cooperation on major energy projects, he said. The east-route gas pipeline project and Yamal liquefied natural gas project have advanced smoothly, while the west-route gas pipeline projects are under negotiation, he said.

Putin said Russia welcomes Chinese investors' participation in Russia's economic development. He also called on the two sides to explore new areas of cooperation to inject new energy into their strategic partnership of comprehensive coordination.

Zhang was in Moscow for the fourth meeting of the China-Russia Investment Cooperation Committee and the meeting with the Russian chair of the China-Russia Energy Cooperation Committee from Tuesday to Thursday.

During his three-day stay, he also met with Igor Sechin, the chief of Russian oil company Rosneft, and Alexei Miller, CEO of Russian natural gas company Gazprom. They exchanged views on further cooperation.

Xinhua