CARACAS, July 18. /TASS/. Venezuela’s Bolivarian Agency for Space Activities and the China National Space Administration have signed a declaration on cooperation in space exploration whereby Venezuela will participate in the Russian-Chinese International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) project, Venezuelan Minister of Science and Technology Gabriela Jimenez said on Tuesday.

"Venezuela and China signed a joint declaration on the International Lunar Research Station and deep space. Venezuela and China are entering a new stage of cooperation in space exploration," she wrote on her Twitter account. "Venezuela is the first country from the Americas to join this important project."

"The strategic union between Venezuela and China covers all areas of cooperation and is proof of the Venezuelan government’s efforts toward developing science in our country," the Globovision television channel quoted Jimenez as saying during the signing ceremony.

Under the joint declaration, China can use Venezuelan ground-based stations for space control.

Secretary General of the China National Space Administration Xu Hongliang praised cooperation with Venezuela, which promotes "bilateral scientific research, spacecraft launches to the Moon, scientific experiments, exchanges and analysis of information, and cooperation in the area of education."

Russia and China plan to launch the International Lunar Research Station and begin its operation in two stages from 2025 to 2035. The station will have a research, energy, ascent/descent modules, a command center, a transmitting satellite, a telecom station, and modules for technology verification and monitoring.