On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro signed a “Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Agreement” in the Kremlin’s Malachite Hall.
“The agreement consolidates the high level of Russian-Venezuelan relations and establishes the basic principles and guidelines for the future development of long-term cooperation,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
In the text of the strategic partnership agreement, Russia reaffirmed its support for Venezuela’s proposal to join BRICS, the economic cooperation group led by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
“Russia positively appreciates the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela’s intention to join as a full member and cooperate closely within the BRICS association,” the Kremlin reported.
The document also contemplates the development of ties between Venezuela and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), seeking to strengthen the Caribbean country’s integration into multilateral mechanisms alternative to the Western order.
The ten-years agreement establishes a roadmap to intensify bilateral cooperation in strategic sectors such as the economy, investment, energy, and mining, consolidating a relationship that already includes more than 350 previous agreements in various areas.
Putin emphasized that this strategic partnership “will create a solid foundation for expanding multifaceted ties” between the two countries, while Maduro described the relationship as part of a process of “true national liberation” and a “second process of independence” for Venezuela.
Venezuela’s aspiration to join the BRICS is part of the strategy of diversifying international alliances that Caracas has implemented in the face of Western sanctions, seeking to strengthen its ties with emerging powers such as Russia, China, and other members of the bloc.
Original article published in Telesur.
