MEXICO CITY, December 19. /TASS/. Relations between Russia and Nicaragua have strengthened since the Soviet era and have reached the level of a strategic alliance, with the countries working together to create a multipolar world, Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Waltraud Martinez assessed.

"Nicaragua has always enjoyed the support and solidarity of the Soviet Union. These historical relations between brotherly nations and states have reached the level of a strategic alliance under the leadership of Russian President Vladimir Putin and our Commander Daniel Ortega Saavedra," the foreign minister stated at a ceremony with the Russian diplomatic mission to mark the 80th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the countries.

According to him, the Nicaraguan government and people are committed to strengthening historical ties with Russia, which allows it to continue the "struggle for ideals together with the heroic and always victorious people of Russia." "For Nicaragua, Russia is a strategic, key partner," Martinez emphasized.

Background: Russia-Nicaragua Relations

Diplomatic relations between the USSR and Nicaragua were established in 1944. In 1980, the countries opened embassies on each other’s territory. During this period, active military-technical cooperation took place. Moscow supplied Nicaragua with armored vehicles, aircraft, helicopters, and artillery. Soviet-made military equipment made up 90% of the Nicaraguan army's weaponry. Following the collapse of the USSR, military cooperation declined; however, it began to recover in the 2000s. Nicaragua resumed purchasing weapons and military equipment from Russia to equip its ground and naval forces.

In June 2022, Russian troops were allowed entry into Nicaragua for military exercises and humanitarian purposes. Personnel, ships, and aircraft of the Russian Armed Forces can enter Nicaragua to participate in training and exercises, humanitarian aid operations, search and rescue operations during emergencies or natural disasters. Entry into the country for such purposes is also permitted for the USA, Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic.

Economic ties between the Russian Federation and Nicaragua are also developing intensively. In 2021, trade between Russia and Nicaragua grew by 186.5% ($161.4 mln), exports and imports by 232.2% and 27.4% ($145.3 mln and $16.1 mln, respectively). In 2023, as noted by State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, trade between the countries increased by 70%, and in the first quarter of 2024 alone it increased by another 79%.