BEIJING — Russia fully recognizes and highly appreciates the effective measures taken by China to combat the epidemic caused by the novel coronavirus, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

He said in a phone conversation with State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Feb 1 that Russia believes that the threat of the epidemic will soon be eliminated.

President Vladimir Putin sent a sympathy message on Jan 31 to Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying that Russia fully supports China in fighting the epidemic, and is willing to provide necessary medical supplies and send a delegation of anti-epidemic experts to China to jointly carry out research and development of vaccines and drugs, Lavrov said.

Wang appreciated Putin's sympathy message to Xi, saying it reflects the strong mutual trust between the two heads of state and the high-level China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era.

The Chinese people are united as one in the serious fight against the epidemic, and are fully capable, confident and sure of defeating the virus, Wang said.

The Chinese government has actively responded to the reasonable concerns both at home and abroad in an open and transparent manner and has won full recognition by the international community including Russia and the World Health Organization (WHO), Wang noted.

He added that Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, has spoken highly of China's decisive and powerful measures and is full of confidence in China's victory over the epidemic.

Offering firm and mutual support when they need each other the most is a good tradition between China and Russia, and also what is expected of the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era between the two countries, Wang said.

He expressed China's gratitude for Russia's medical supplies and welcomed Russia to send anti-epidemic experts to China for exchanges and cooperation on public health, including epidemic prevention and control.

Lavrov said Russia is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China to properly cope with the challenges posed by the epidemic and jointly contribute to the cause of world public health.