Maduro announces arrival in ‘Russian motherland’
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced in a tweet on Tuesday that he has arrived in Russia.
“We have arrived in the Russian motherland in order to strengthen our historic and extremely positive relations and the respect between our nations,” he wrote on Twitter, publishing a photograph from the airport.
He said that the fraternal relations that Moscow and Caracas have built over the years “are the fundamental axis for building a flourishing future for Venezuela”.
Previously the Venezuelan leader said that during his visit to Russia he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and with Russian businessmen. He said that they intend to discus the dynamics of bilateral relations and to look for new ways to cooperate in the economy, the social sphere and in culture.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that the two presidents would meet on September 25. The talks will take place in Sochi on the sidelines of the Valdai Club. There, Putin will also meet with the presidents of the Philippines and Kazakhstan, Rodrigo Duterte and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Maduro’s visit to Russia was announced by the Kremlin last week. His trip to Moscow to sign new bilateral agreements was also announced by the Venezuelan media.
In January this year, the political crisis in Venezuela grew more severe when opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president, rejecting Maduro’s inauguration as illegitimate. He promised to do everything in his power to arrange snap elections and to put an end to Maduro’s usurpation. The US and many other countries have recognized Guaido as the legitimate acting president, whereas Maduro’s presidency is supported by Russia, Cuba, China, Turkey and Bolivia.
Maduro’s last visit to Russia took place in December last year. After meeting with Putin, he announced that Moscow had agreed to invest $6 billion in Venezuela. The Venezuelan president also visited Russia in 2013 and 2015.