Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks during a meeting with Foreign Minister of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Yvan Gil on the sidelines of the BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting, Nizhny Novgorod, June 11, 2024

Mr Minister,

Dear Yvan,

It’s a pleasure to have you and your delegation here in Nizhny Novgorod.

We welcome Venezuela’s keen interest in BRICS, and as the country currently chairing of the association, we are committed to strengthening ties.

Our longstanding and strong relationship has led to effective cooperation in energy, medicine, agriculture, and high technology. What’s paramount now is our efforts to establish financial and logistical mechanisms that are resilient to external influence. This will ensure the independence and progressive development of our ties, safeguarding them from any illegitimate actions by Washington and its allies.

We highly value our collaboration on the global stage, notably through the UN, where we actively enhance cooperation based on Venezuela’s initiative to establish a Group of Friends in Defence of the UN Charter. Your positive initiatives to promote equality in international affairs within the Non-Aligned Movement are commendable. We engage closely and effectively in various multilateral forums, including OPEC Plus and the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, which play vital roles in promoting economic fairness worldwide.

The Memorandum of Understanding recently signed between the Russian Federation and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, aimed at cooperation in countering unilateral coercive measures, underscores our joint commitment to addressing such challenges together.