CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuelan foreign minister Ivan Gil and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov deepened the strategic alliance between the two nations, agreeing to expand ties in trade, investment, space cooperation and oil exploration.
In statements to the press after the talks, held at the Venezuelan foreign ministry, Gil stressed that the meeting was very fruitful, and assured that Venezuela and Russia will continue working to strengthen bilateral ties.
The foreign minister said that the two nations have been cooperating in the fields of energy, agriculture, space, education, transport, air and sea communications.
During the meeting the ministers discussed positions of Russia and Venezuela in the multipolar world and the new world politics, and noted that both nations share the principles of the UN Charter.
The South American diplomat recalled that Venezuela and Russia are working to achieve consensus and coordination in multilateral forums on issues such as the protection of the principles of self-determination, sovereignty and peace in the world.
For his part, Lavrov said the two sides have agreed on measures to expand trade and investment cooperation, based on the realities of today’s world.
The Russian diplomat said that they discussed the situation in the international arena and stressed that Venezuela is one of the most reliable partners of Russia: the two countries are united by strategic ties of cooperation on the international agenda, as well as mutual friendship and sympathy.
“We have numerous projects in oil production, gas development, agriculture, medicine and pharmaceuticals, communications, space, new technologies. We will be increasing the volume and pace of cooperation in all these areas. We shall vigorously use the existing mechanisms, including the Russian-Venezuelan intergovernmental high-level commission,” said Lavrov.
He stressed mutual cooperation in the international sphere and commitment to the basic principles of the United Nations.
The Russian foreign minister also met with Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. We shall remind you that Lavrov arrived in Caracas the day before as part of his tour of Latin America.
Venezuela and Russia have been linked by 78 years of diplomatic relations. The delegations of the two countries have met 16 times within the high level of Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) and signed more than 335 agreements in 20 areas of mutual interest, as reported by Prensa Latina, a partner of TV BRICS.
