MOSCOW, June 24. /TASS/. Russian-Venezuelan energy and military-technical cooperation is developing, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a meeting with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza on Wednesday.
"Venezuela is a friend we can count on in Latin America and on the international stage. We value our strategic partnership developed based on the agreements between Russian and Venezuelan Presidents Vladimir Putin and Nicolas Maduro. Our bilateral relations are progressing in such spheres as energy, industry, agriculture, high technology, pharmaceutics and military-technical cooperation," he said.
In March 2020, Rosneft announced that it would end its activity in Venezuela, selling all assets. A Russia-owned Roszarubezhneft company has acquired all assets of Rosneft in Venezuela, including shares in Petromonagas, Petroperija, Boqueron, Petromiranda and Petrovictoria.
Official Caracas' agreements with opposition in view of pandemic
Russia welcomes the recent agreements between the Venezuelan government and opposition on combating the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian top diplomat told his Venezuelan counterpart.
"We support the position of President [of Venezuela Nicolas] Maduro and his government aimed to develop national dialogue with the opposition. We welcome the agreements signed recently with members of the opposition on combating the coronavirus infection, agreements that were reached in cooperation with the Pan American Health Organization," he said.
Lavrov noted that Venezuela forms part of those states that are the "mainstay for countering the attempts to draw the region back into the 19th century and to impose the Monroe Doctrine."
"We strongly support your commitment to combating foreign diktat and any attempts at blatant interference in the domestic affairs of a sovereign state, opposing any attempts at a forced regime change," the foreign minister added.