MOSCOW, November 8. /TASS/. Venezuela has suggested holding a meeting of the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations in Moscow, the country’s top diplomat Felix Placencia said Monday during talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

"It is imperative to convene a meeting of representatives from the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter in one of the group’s member countries as soon as possible. I think Moscow should be the venue for such a meeting. I understand that this decision is Moscow’s to take, but if Russia does decide to act as a host for the group’s meeting, we are ready to provide our full support on this matter," Placencia said.

The Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations is an important initiative that involves as many as 19 countries by now, the minister pointed out, adding that "the number of member countries should be significantly expanded."

Placencia also thanked Russia for the unconditional support it has offered to Venezuela and its President Nicolas Maduro in the face of unilateral sanctions imposed on the country at the behest of the US.

The Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations is made up of Algeria, Angola, Belarus, Bolivia, Cambodia, China, Cuba, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Iran, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Nicaragua, the State of Palestine, the Russian Federation, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Syria, Zimbabwe, and Venezuela.