Russia, Dominican Republic to coordinate steps on global scene - Lavrov

MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/. Russia and the Dominican Republic intend to closely coordinate their steps in multilateral and international organizations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after negotiations with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic Miguel Vargas Maldonado on Monday. "In the sphere of foreign political cooperation we have mutual commitment to the norms and principles of the UN Charter and commitment to peaceful politico-diplomatic ways of settlement of any conflicts," Lavrov said. "We studied key issues on the agenda of the UN Security Council - the body in which the Dominican Republic will operate as a non-permanent member in 2019-2020. We studied in detail the issues that require additional attention. Today’s signing of the memorandum on issues of consultative cooperation at multilateral venues between our permanent representatives and delegations shows our intention to closely coordinate our steps in the UN Security Council as well." "We want excellent political contacts to be followed by the extension of cooperation in the sphere of economy," the Russian foreign minister went on. "There are promising plans in the sphere of agriculture and energy industry, including green energy technologies. We agreed to contribute to the settlement of direct contacts between business circles, offer them comprehensive support and support participation in various exhibitions and fairs." Lavrov noted the good potential of the two countries in the sphere of educational exchanges and the preparation of professional personnel. "We issue government grants to Dominican citizens for education in Russian higher educational institutions. The graduates of Russian and Soviet higher educational institutions in the Dominican Republic - there are more than 3,000 of them - formed their own association long ago, which is also promoting our cooperation between civic societies," he said, reiterating that Dominican police officers are attending anti-drug courses, which the Russian Interior Ministry opened in Managua, as well as courses for employees of emergency services of the Latin American and Caribbean states in Havana. "As usual, we are paying much attention to our cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean basin and Russia’s ties with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and the sub-regional structures of this important global region. We are grateful to the Dominican Republic for its unfailing support for our contacts and the strive to fill these contacts with practical contents," the Russian foreign minister concluded. Read more