MOSCOW, April 26. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will meet with Bolivian Foreign Minister Celinda Sosa in Moscow on Friday.
The top Bolivian diplomat is paying a two-day visit to Russia on April 26 and 27.
The Russian Foreign Ministry’s official spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said earlier the two ministers would discuss bilateral ties, political dialogue, ways of broadening cooperation in various sectors and improving the legislative and contractual framework.
"Special attention will be paid to a discussion on ways to improving bilateral cooperation on the international arena," the diplomat said.
Celinda Sosa was appointed Bolivia’s top diplomat in November 2023. Her upcoming visit to Moscow will be the first trip to Russia in the capacity of the Bolivian foreign minister. However, she has already met with Lavrov on February 21, on the sidelines of G20 events in Rio de Janeiro.
Positive dynamics of dialogue
Russia and Bolivia maintain an intense bilateral dialogue. Last year, President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with his Bolivian counterpart Luis Arce. Besides, the Bolivian leader talked by phone with Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko and met with Lavrov on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in South Africa’s Johannesburg.
"Russia and Bolivia share similar conceptual approaches to key issues on the global agenda, including the fundamental principles of international relations, such as sovereign equality of states, rule of law, indivisible security, unacceptability of interference into domestic affairs. Together, [the two countries] stand against illegitimate pressure of sanctions aimed at punishing undesirable governments," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Via global platforms, Bolivia promotes approaches that are similar to Russia’s, including in areas such as cybersecurity, space and human rights issues.
Celinda Sosa is also known for publicly speaking against unilateral sanctions on countries.
Also, the Russian Foreign Ministry notes the positive dynamics of economic cooperation between the two countries. Russia and Bolivia have established an Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation, whose co-chairs last talked via video linkup on May 25, 2023.
BRICS membership prospects
In July 2023, Bolivian President Luis Arce officially notified BRICS of his country’s interest in joining the grouping. Russia holds the organization’s rotating presidency this year, so the issue of Bolivia’s membership may be high on the agenda of the upcoming BRICS meetings in Moscow. Russian officials and diplomats said on several occasions that the Russian presidency will come up with practical recommendations regarding the category of BRICS partner countries before the summit in Kazan in October.
"In its capacity of the group’s rotating chairman in 2024, the Russian side is poised to help La Paz engage more broadly in cooperation with BRICS," the ministry said.