Russian foreign minister arrives in Venezuela

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived on Tuesday in the Venezuelan capital Caracas as part of his trip to Latin America.

During the visit, he will meet with President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro, Executive Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, and will hold talks with Foreign Minister Yvan Gil, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Lavrov and Gil plan to discuss "the current state and development prospects of bilateral strategic partnership," including the deepening of political dialogue and the implementation of major joint projects in the trade, investment, cultural, and humanitarian areas, the ministry noted.

"They will also exchange opinions on the key issues of the international and regional agendas, and on bilateral interaction within the UN and other multilateral platforms," it said.

Lavrov arrived in Venezuela from Cuba where he met with top officials the day before, including President Miguel Diaz-Canel and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla.

According to the ministry statement, during the meetings, topics of deepening of political dialogue and boosting ties in the trade, economic, finance, investment, scientific, technical, cultural, humanitarian, and other areas were discussed.

"The key achievements of the two countries over the past year were noted, which will contribute to the more active participation of Russian economic operators in the implementation of large-scale plans for the socio-economic development of Cuba for the period up to 2030," it said.

The parties also spoke about strengthening the close coordination on the world stage and regional platforms, reiterated the mutual commitment to the full strengthening of the Russian-Cuban strategic partnership.

After his visit to Venezuela, Lavrov will depart for Brazil where he will take part in the G20 ministerial summit in Rio de Janeiro.