CARACAS, April 6. /TASS/. Venezuela will soon come up with dates for a visit by President Nicolas Maduro to Russia, Russian Ambassador to Venezuela Sergey Melik-Bagdasarov told TASS in an interview.
According to the Russian diplomat, arrangements for Maduro’s coming visit to Russia and the signing of a strategic partnership and cooperation agreement between the two countries were discussed at a meeting with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil earlier this week. "The Venezuelan side, proceeding from the business schedule of the head of state, will soon propose discussing specific dates of a scheduled visit soon," Melik-Bagdasarov said. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that Maduro’s visit to Russia was in the works and that final dates were being coordinated.
"When fixing specific dates, Maduro’s busy agenda in domestic politics ahead of the July 28 presidential election should be taken into account," the diplomat explained.
The ambassador recalled that, on Venezolana de Television, Maduro had asked him to tell the Russian leadership that he would soon visit Russia. Commenting on the Crocus City Hall attack in a live TV broadcast, the Venezuelan leader said he had no doubt "that the very forces of global evil who are seeking to harm such sovereign and independent countries as Russia and Venezuela were behind the back of the perpetrators of the terrorist attack," according to Melik-Bagdasarov. He thanked the Venezuelan leader for becoming one of the first global leaders to offer his condolences over the attack and issuing a relevant government statement.