/ world today news/ The Russian Foreign Minister visited Brazil, Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua. In the near future, Sergey Lavrov will travel to the United States, where Moscow’s activity in Latin America raises serious concerns. About the goals and results of the tour – in the material.
Peacemaking the Brazilian way
In the capital of Brazil, Lavrov spoke with his counterpart Mauro Vieira and handed the country’s newly elected leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva an invitation from Vladimir Putin to visit Moscow.
Vieira stressed that trade between the two countries has reached a historic record of $9.8 billion. Russia became the 13th largest trading partner. Moreover, the countries are united by stable ties within the BRICS framework.
The countries stated the need to increase indicators of development in such areas as the peaceful use of the atom.
The Ukrainian conflict became an equally important topic of the negotiations. Earlier, Lula da Silva already proposed the creation of an international group to deal with a peaceful settlement. Brazilian authorities see this approach as part of a long tradition of neutrality in foreign policy. During Da Silva’s first administration, his government sent a peacekeeping mission to Haiti, and in 2010, together with Turkey, he tried to strike a nuclear deal with Iran.
Lavrov noted after the meeting that Moscow is interested in a recent peaceful outcome in Ukraine.
American fraud
After Brazil, the Russian minister visited Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, where he held talks with his colleague Ivan Gil Pinto and Vice President Delsey Rodríguez. A meeting was also held with the country’s leader Nicolás Maduro – Lavrov also handed him Putin’s invitation to visit Russia.
The countries, the minister noted, have agreed to strengthen cooperation in the field of new technologies, oil extraction, development of gas fields. Moscow, the foreign minister promised, would help Venezuela’s economy become less and less dependent on the “vagaries and geopolitical games of the United States,” in which Russian experience would be useful.
“I want to emphasize that everyone knows very well that the US can lie at any moment, and much more often it lies than it fulfills its own promises, its own proposals,” the Russian minister said at the closing press conference with Gil Pinto. Lavrov emphasized that Moscow fully supports Caracas: “Venezuelan people must decide for themselves how to continue working, how to continue developing their country.”
The foreign minister then went to Nicaragua, where he discussed the further development of bilateral economic relations. And in Cuba, he spoke with President Miguel Díaz-Canel and the leader of the Cuban revolution, Raúl Castro. The parties reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen ties. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Island of Freedom, commenting on the visit, announced an “excellent state” of relations between Moscow and Havana.
Risks to the US
The North American media closely followed Lavrov’s tour. Critics of President Joe Biden have used the secretary of state’s visits to Latin America to accuse Washington of not being active enough in the South.
“A few Russian missile bases stand here, a few spy installations targeting gringos there, arms sales to would-be dictators, some money for UN votes, American Thinker notes in particular: This shows we know well how bad Joe Biden has messed up foreign policy in this regard.
However, as Boris Martynov, head of the department of international relations and foreign policy at MGIMO, said, Americans in the United States are now deprived of opportunities to respond to Lavrov’s tour. “Washington reacts with words, threats, blackmail, insults. This means that the forces are not enough, in fact they have nothing to answer for, everything is bursting at the seams, and their hegemony is no longer a reality,” the expert believes.
Super successfula tour
In general, analysts are unanimous that Lavrov’s trip has become a natural and successful continuation of Russia’s policy in the region.
“This visit of the head of the foreign ministry to Latin America is far from the first. The pandemic interrupted the tradition, but previously the minister was there every year,” recalls Victor Heifetz, editor-in-chief of the magazine “Latin America”, professor at the University of St. Petersburg. “The return of Russia to the continent happened at the beginning of this century. The purpose of the current trip is not only the signing of contracts and agreements for the supply of goods. It was important to outline Russia’s position on the international agenda in a region where viewpoints do not always coincide with Moscow’s, but will be listened to. In Europe, such a visit would be impossible”, adds the expert.
According to him, Russia is still probing the soil of the Brazilian peace initiative. If da Silva’s idea resonates in other countries, Moscow’s attitude towards it may change, the political scientist admits. At the same time, Latin American partners are also taking a wait-and-see position.
“Venezuela and Cuba cannot help but look in different directions because of the reduction of Moscow’s resources. They would like to see the easing of American sanctions. And it is important for Russia that this does not harm its interests,” explains Heifetz. Separately, he draws attention to the agreements reached with Brazil for payment in national currencies.
Boris Martynov is convinced that Latin America itself is taking on a new meaning: it is no longer the “backyard” of the United States, as Washington often tries to make it out to be.
“The region has long been freed from dependence on the USA. Their “backyard” is now rather the countries of the European Union,” notes the expert.
According to him, Lavrov’s trip was “super successful”. This is supported by statements from Brazil regarding the rejection of the dollar, Russian ownership of Crimea and recognition of unilateral Western sanctions as illegitimate. The Chinese factor is also important. China is increasing its influence in Latin America, which creates a window of opportunity for Moscow.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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