MOSCOW, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov extended greetings for the Chinese New Year during his speech at the State Duma on Wednesday.

File photo: AFP

Lavrov wished the Chinese nation greater prosperity in the upcoming Year of the Horse, which begins in the coming days.

He described China as Russia's great eastern neighbor, saying, "The development of our ties with China has a stabilizing effect on the entire system of international relations and plays a paramount role in fulfilling the strategic task of building a belt of good-neighborliness along Russia's borders."