MOSCOW, May 17. /TASS/. Russian and Venezuelan Deputy Foreign Ministers Sergey Vershinin and Ruben Dario Molina expressed mutual commitment to close cooperation in the context of preparations with the Summit of the Future due to be held in New York from September 22 to 23, the Russian Foreign Ministry said after their consultations in Caracas.
"During the talks, the sides discussed in detail key topics on the international agenda with a focus on the situation in Latin America. The Russian side highly assessed Venezuela’s efforts as a coordinator of the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter," it said. "The sides expressed mutual commitment to further cooperation in the context of preparations for the Summit of the Future, which is tasked to improve the entire system of multilateral cooperation."
The two countries’ diplomats stressed that Russia and Venezuela stand firm for strengthening the UN-centric system of international relations and building real multipolarity with no room for the dominance of small group of countries.
Apart from that, on May 13, Vershinin took part in the second meeting of the national coordinators in the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter, which considered ways of the invigoration of its activities and ensuring closer cooperation between member countries. Participants also reiterated the Group’s commitment to advocate the supremacy of international law and build a fair and democratic multipolar world order. "Participants passed a political declaration and a special declaration on Puerto Rico’s colonial issue, where they expressed support for this people’s undeniable right to self-determination and independence," the ministry said.
The senior Russian diplomat, according to the ministry, also met with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto on the sidelines of the group’s meeting. He also held a number of bilateral meetings with the heads of the delegations from Algeria, China, Cuba, Iran, Syria, and Zimbabwe.