Russia expects to sign a treaty with CELAC this year - Lavrov

MOSCOW, April 20. /TASS/. Russia hopes that the document on the mechanism of the political dialogue with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) will be signed this year, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday following talks with his Chilean counterpart Heraldo Munoz. "We are cooperating fruitfully within the framework of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and in other areas of the multilateral agenda," Russia’s top diplomat said. "We are grateful to Chile for its support of strengthening our country’s ties with the integration mechanisms in Latin America, including the creation of the political dialogue and cooperation mechanism between Russia and CELAC." "We expect the relevant document to be signed later this year," Lavrov added. Russia’s top diplomat noted that Moscow welcomed Chile’s commitment to promoting dialogue between the Pacific Alliance, whose member the country is, and the Eurasian Economic Union." The bilateral legal framework is being improved as well. "More than a dozen of draft documents are currently in progress," he went on. "We see an opportunity to accelerate their signing." Read more