Baghdad-INA
Russia and Venezuela, anti-US allies, pledged to strengthen their cooperation in oil and gas production and the “peaceful use of nuclear energy”, following a meeting of the two countries’ foreign ministers in Caracas.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Venezuela from Cuba as part of his tour in Latin America, while Moscow is searching for new diplomatic and commercial partners to break its isolation on the international scene after its invasion of Ukraine and the West imposing severe sanctions on it.
Lavrov met in Caracas with his Venezuelan counterpart Ivan Gil and Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, where they discussed “expanding cooperation in oil production, gas field development, agriculture, medicine and pharmaceuticals,” Gil told reporters afterward.
An official translation of the Venezuelan minister’s statement stated, “We are also studying the promising field of peaceful use of nuclear energy. We discussed this issue today and agreed to increase the volume of cooperation in all these fields.”
Lavrov’s last visit to Venezuela was in April 2023, when he urged like-minded countries to “unite their forces” against the “blackmail” of Western sanctions.
Venezuela is a key ally of Moscow, and Maduro has repeatedly expressed his support for Russia and President Vladimir Putin, before and after the invasion of Ukraine.
2024-02-22 05:56:23