HAVANA, April 15. /TASS/. The opening of the Russian embassy in the Dominican Republic is geared to strengthen friendly relations between the countries and expand cooperation between them, Russian Ambassador to that country Alexey Seredin told TASS.
He arrived in Santo Domingo on a new diplomatic mission and handed over his credentials to Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez on April 14.
"The Russian embassy’s opening in the Dominican Republic reflects the high level of relations between our countries," the Russian diplomat said. "The two countries’ governments are interested in strengthening ties" and the embassy’s opening "will give an impetus to closer bilateral cooperation."
According to Seredin, the embassy will employ three diplomats at the initial stages, who will focus on offering consular services to the more than 2,000 Russian nationals who are currently residing in the Dominican Republic. "We will offer them all necessary support," he stressed.
"Russian-Dominican ties are historically built on mutual respect for each other’s interests," he noted, adding that the two countries marked the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations on March 8.
Alexey Seredin was appointed Ambassador to the Dominican Republic by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decree on March 11 after Sergey Melik-Bagdasarov was relieved of his duties, remaining, however Ambassador to Venezuela and Haiti.