Key Points of Sergey Lavrov’s Statements During His Visit to Venezuela

Orinoco Tribune, February 22, 2024 —

Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov visited Venezuela this Tuesday and met with Venezuelan government authorities during a brief, official 24-hour visit before traveling to Brazil for a G20 summit of foreign ministers. Lavrov made a similar one-day stop in Havana, Cuba, before arriving in Venezuela.

Below, we present some key points of statements issued by Lavrov during his stay in Venezuela:

• He said that both Moscow and Caracas agree on a willingness to achieve “greater democracy on the international stage” through compliance with the principles of the UN charter, especially that of the sovereign equality of states. “We reject the methods of blackmail and unilateral restrictions practiced by Washington and its satellite countries,” he added.
• Lavrov noted that Russia and Venezuela will seek justice in matters related to their assets confiscated by Western countries. “Today, February 20, we exchanged opinions on how we will proceed. We have our own plans, Venezuela also intends to take some steps, so the exchange of experience in this area is very useful,” he said.
• The Russian foreign minister said that Russia trusts that Venezuela and Guyana are willing to carry out a future-oriented dialogue on the territorial dispute, in which external interference is inadmissible.
• He added that Russia is prepared to support negotiations between Venezuela’s government and extremist sectors of the Venezuelan opposition. “As much as is necessary for the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is our firm position, it has never changed and remains in force,” he said.

• Minister Lavrov highlighted that Venezuela is one of Russia’s closest friends, the closest and most trusted in Latin America and the world, which is why he described the exchanges as “promising,” particularly in the area of ​​nuclear energy. “We agreed to increase the volume of cooperation in these areas,” said Lavrov.
• Lavrov questioned the barbaric policies of the US government and commented on the theft of Venezuela’s Boeing 747 cargo jet belonging to state-owned EMTRASUR, carried out recently by the White House. “It was a robbery, a piracy,” stated Lavrov. “It was a plane that provided primary care to the population.”
• “We also consider the area of ​​peaceful use of nuclear energy promising,” stated Lavrov. “We also spoke about this issue today. We have agreed to increase the volume of cooperation in all these areas.”

Finally, Venezuela’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Yván Gil received an invitation for President Nicolás Maduro to visit Russia. On this visit, President Maduro recently mentioned that he plans to visit after the Russian presidential elections.

Lavrov also issued statements concerning Russia’s willingness to promote Venezuela’s inclusion in BRICS. The alliance is currently under Russia’s pro-tempore presidency.

Moscow is aware of Caracas’ interest in boosting ties with BRICS and will facilitate the process as the group’s chair, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a meeting with Venezuelan President Maduro. “We know that our Venezuelan friends are interested in closer ties with BRICS, and Russia will facilitate the process as the group’s chair this year,” he said, as reported by TASS.