Communication by the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov addressed to readers of “Rodina” magazine

A special edition of "Rodina" magazine devoted to 185 years of diplomatic relations having been established between the Russian Federation and the Federal Republic of Brazil is being offered for your attention.

Russian-Brazilian relations have a rich history. For almost two centuries the cooperation between our countries and peoples has always been notable for the feeling of friendship, mutual attraction and respect. At the beginning of the XIX century many prominent Russian mariners, including Adam Johann von Krusenstern, Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, Vasily Golovin, and Mikhail Lazarev called at Brazilian ports many times during their journeys round the world. Later, in the 1820s, Grigory Langsdorff, Consul General of Russia in Rio de Janeiro, organised several scientific expeditions to the central regions of Brazil, the results of which made a significant contribution to the exploration of geography, nature and ethnography.

In the last decade, relations between Russia and Brazil have developed especially dynamically. Today Brazil is one of our key partners in Latin America and in the world. The strategic partnership of our countries is based on an active political dialogue, including at summit level, which is supported by extending interaction in the modernisation of our economies, the creation of high-tech manufacturing facilities, the development of modern energy, including nuclear, the exploration of renewable sources of energy and outer space, for peaceful purposes.

Our countries have a lot in common – we have close approaches to the key problems of global policy and economy, ways of strengthening the new multipolar world order, the achievement of sustainable development. Russia and Brazil advocate respect for national sovereignty, non-acceptance of any attempts at dictation and external interference into the internal affairs of countries, and are committed to supporting peace and stability, the protection of human rights, the joint search for responses to global challenges and threats on a firm basis of international law. We actively interact in the UN, the G20, BRICS, and other international formats.

Each year we have more and more opportunities to become closer. Humanitarian and cultural cooperation, business links, contacts between people show a sustainable growth. In the short term, we are planning to have Days of Brazilian Culture in Russia and Days of Russian Culture in Brazil.

I am convinced that when readers from our countries study the contents of this magazine, they will learn and understand each other better, which will contribute to a deepening of future-oriented mutually beneficial cooperation, built-up on multifaceted relations in various fields.

SERGEY LAVROV

Moscow, 3 October 2013