Sergey Lavrov Travel to Brazil this MondayThe first stop of the tour will take you too Venezuela, Nicaragua and CubaFrom there he will return to Russia on April 21.
“The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is waiting for a full agenda, which includes receptions with the heads of these states and interviews with the heads of foreign ministries,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a message on Telegram.
Lavrov “flies to the region with a concrete agenda that seeks to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation between our countries at the political, commercial, economic, educational, humanitarian, cultural and other levels.”
“We plan to strengthen the international legal institutions of the modern world, the framework on which the UN Charter rests,” the Russian Foreign Ministry added.
Lavrov was received in Brasilia on Monday by his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira.There they will meet to discuss the war in Ukraine and bilateral trade, among other issues.
As indicated by the Brazilian government in a note, the two ministers will speak at the Itamarati Palace – the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine since the February 24, 2022 decision to invade Russia. Militarily.
Brazil remains neutral and has defended the “importance of an immediate cessation of hostilities and combining diplomatic efforts” in international forums and bilateral engagement with other leaders to achieve a “negotiated peaceful settlement”.
Lavrov’s visit comes at a time when Russia faces isolation from Western powers, which have imposed tough economic sanctions on Moscow and sent arms to Ukraine. With some controversial statements by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Kiev also said it had taken the decision to go to war.
Vieira and Lavrov will talk about “the possibility of a strategic alliance between Brazil and Russia, established 20 years ago, and opportunities for cooperation in areas of common interest,” according to official sources.
In this sense, they will seek to strengthen relations in “trade and investment, science and technology, environment, energy, security, culture and education” as well as “strengthen political dialogue” on bilateral, international and regional issues.
Brazil’s foreign ministry said in addition to the “historic ties of friendship and cooperation between Brazil and Russia”, the two countries “maintain an important commercial relationship”.
Russia is a major supplier of fertilizers to the Brazilian agricultural sectorIts main export destination is China.
By 2022, trade between Brazil and Russia will reach a historic record of $9.8 billion.
After passing through Brazil, Lavrov will be received By the regimes of Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba, the Kremlin’s closest allies Those who supported Putin in his bloody war in Ukraine.
Nicolás Maduro offered Putin “full support” from the start of the war. In addition, Russia and Venezuela celebrated the 78th anniversary of their diplomatic relations on March 14, ties that strengthened in 1999 with the advent of the so-called Bolivarian Revolution.
Cuban dictator Miguel Diaz-CanelDuring a visit to Russia in December 2022, he expressed his support for Putin in his confrontation with the West, after which he condemned the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against the Kremlin leader.
Recently, the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushevand head of the largest Russian oil company, Igor Sechin.
For his part, at the end of March the Nicaraguan foreign minister, Denise Moncada, met Lavrov in Moscow, before whom he defended his right to guarantee the “integrity and security” of Moscow. Later, Lavrov decorated the Nicaraguan dictator’s son, Laureano Ortega Murillo, with the Order of Friendship. Daniel Ortega.
With information from Europa Press and EFE
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