MOSCOW, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Russia's outgoing President Vladimir Putin's visit to Libya was a historic event, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.

    The preparations for the first summit between the two countries in 20 years began long ago, Lavrov said in an interview with a Russian television channel after returning from Libya.

    During the visit, both sides managed not only "to solidify our joint approaches toward international affairs, but also to agree upon the framework of trade, economic and investment cooperation," he said.

    The agreements and multi-billion contracts signed during the visit were fully consistent with the interests of both countries, he said.

    "Both parties wanted this visit to be symbolic and successful. I think they succeeded," he added.

    Putin wrapped up his two-day visit to Libya and met with Libyan leader Muammar Ghaddafi Thursday.