Paraguay to cooperate with Russia in agriculture, other sectors - foreign minister

RIO DE JANEIRO, August 25. /TASS/. Paraguay pays big attention to development of relations with Russia, and first of all to development of the spectrum of the bilateral cooperation, the country’s Foreign Minister Eladio Loizaga said on Tuesday. "Russia today is a major consumer of Paraguay’s soy and the second biggest importer of beef and beef products," he told reporters after the ceremony, where Paraguay’s President Horacio Cartes received credentials from Russia’s Ambassador Nikolai Tavdumadze. "We have good relations with Russia, and we plan to develop them actively, and we shall immediately offer new directions for cooperation." He named promising spheres of "agriculture, as well as oil and gas, where Russia has gained great experience." "Diversification of our quickly growing trade and economic relations was a key topic during the discussion with President Cartes, which followed presentation of credentials," the Russian ambassador said on the telephone. "Head of the Paraguayan state said we should by mutual effort offer new opportunities to expand the bilateral cooperation, to find ways to cut misbalances in trade." The Russian diplomat said the trade turnover in 2014 between Russia and Paraguay was $1.18 billion, where about $900 million account for Russian purchases of beef and soy. Read more