Venezuela and Russia plan to expand cooperation agreements, says Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, visiting Latin America

(Reuters) — Venezuela and Russia plan to expand cooperation agreements in energy, investment, trade and finance, among other areas, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday, who is touring allied countries in Latin America.

Venezuela is a close ally of the government of President Vladimir Putin, and in the midst of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has expressed support for his Russian counterpart.

“With Venezuela we have a very rich agenda and practical projects and cooperation that, in practice, strengthens the base of our economy, which does not depend on the whim of blackmail” from the West, said Lavrov, in Russian, who visited Brazil and whose tour It will continue in Nicaragua and Cuba.

“Venezuela is one of the most viable partners in strategic cooperation,” added the Russian foreign minister at the headquarters of the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, where he met with his Venezuelan counterpart, Yván Gil.

Gil said that advances were agreed on in aspects such as energy and finance, but he did not give details.

Later, Lavrov held a meeting with Maduro at the Miraflores palace, the seat of the Venezuelan government, according to images on state television. There were no details of the meeting.

Moscow has backed Maduro during his country’s political crisis, marked in recent years by US sanctions against Venezuelan officials and entities such as the OPEC member country’s state oil company.

Since 1999, both countries, sanctioned by Washington, have strengthened their relations and have signed agreements in energy, health, transportation, science and technology, and the military.