Russia, Venezuela to take steps in response to freezing of assets in West: Lavrov

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia and Venezuela plan to take steps in response to the freezing of their assets in the West, Russia’s foreign minister said Tuesday.

“We have our own plans. Venezuela also has intentions to take some steps. So the exchange of experience in this area is very, very useful. We will seek justice. This is the main direction in which we work,” Sergey Lavrov said during a press conference in Venezuela’s capital Caracas with his counterpart Yvan Gil.

Noting that he and Gil exchanged views on this matter during their talks, Lavrov said Venezuela suffers from the policies of the US and its allies, which he described as “barbaric and predatory.”

He said that the seizing of a Boeing 747-300 plane belonging to Venezuelan company Emtrasur by the US on Feb. 12 “fits into the mainstream of the corresponding policy.”

“In addition to the situation with the plane…Venezuelan money and state reserves, like Russian state reserves, are frozen in a number of Western countries. This is, of course, a gross and flagrant violation of both international law and the practice of conducting civilized relations in trade, investment and any other sphere,” he added.

Lavrov said relations between Russia and Venezuela have reached a stable level of strategic partnership and the two countries have agreed to increase the pace and volume of their cooperation in the field of nuclear energy and oil production.

He also said a meeting between the presidents of Venezuela and Guyana on the oil-rich Essequibo region is being prepared and that there is a basis for constructive dialogue.

Guyana and Venezuela have been engaged in a years-long dispute over a 160,000-square-kilometer (61,776-square-mile) region where massive amounts of oil and gas have been found. It intensified after ExxonMobil's first oil discovery in the territory eight years ago.

Gil defined the meeting with his Russian counterpart as productive, saying they will continue to work to strengthen relations between their two countries.

Lavrov also held talks with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.