Russian President Vladimir Putin And Bolivian President Evo Morales Will Meet In Moscow

 Russian President Vladimir Putin and Bolivian President Evo Morales will meet in Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Bolivian President Evo Morales will meet in Moscow on Thursday to discuss trade, economic, investment and humanitarian cooperation

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th July, 2019) Russian President Vladimir Putin and Bolivian President Evo Morales will meet in Moscow on Thursday to discuss trade, economic, investment and humanitarian cooperation.

Diplomatic relations between the Russian Empire and Bolivia were established on August 9, 1898, and relations between the Soviet Union and Bolivia were established on April 18, 1945. The two countries opened embassies in each other's capitals in 1969.

The Republic of Bolivia recognized Russia as the successor to the Soviet Union on December 27, 1991.

On July 26, 1996, the sides signed a treaty on the basic principles of bilateral relations.

Russia and Bolivia have common or similar positions on major international issues. The leaders of the two countries maintain the practice of conveying messages and conduct a political dialogue.

Morales paid an official visit to Russia on February 16, 2009, and became the first Bolivian president to visit Russia.

From July 1-2, 2013, Morales took part in the summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in Moscow and met with Putin.

The presidents of the two countries met again on July 16, 2014, on the margins of the summit between the heads of state of the five BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) and 11 South American leaders in the Brazilian capital of Brasilia.

On November 23, 2015, Putin met with Morales on the sidelines of the GECF in Tehran.

Another meeting of the two presidents took place in Moscow on June 13, 2018, during which they discussed the potential for greater interaction and bilateral cooperation, in particular in the energy, military and technical fields. As a result of the talks, Putin and Morales adopted a joint statement on partnership in international affairs.

Relations between the foreign ministries of the two countries are developing. Then-Bolivian Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca visited Russia in May 2011 and in April 2016.

On August 16, 2017, Fernando Huanacuni Mamani, who was Bolivian foreign minister at the time, paid a working visit to Russia.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with the head of the Bolivian Foreign Ministry on September 19, 2017, on the sidelines of the 72nd Regular Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

A year later, on September 27, Lavrov met with Bolivian Foreign Minister Diego Pary Rodriguez on the margins of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly.

Interparliamentary contacts play an important role in the development of Russian-Bolivian relations. Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, has a group on interaction with parliaments of the South American countries, including Bolivia.

In January 2015, the Russian parliament's upper house deputy speaker, Ilyas Umakhanov, came to Bolivia's La Paz to participate in the inauguration ceremony of Bolivian President Evo Morales, who was reelected in the 2014 general election.

In September of the same year, Nelida Sifuentes Cueto, first vice-president of the Bolivian Senate, took part in the First Eurasian Women's Forum in St. Petersburg.

A representative Bolivian delegation took part in the work of the 137th Interparliamentary Union Assembly in St. Petersburg from October 14-18, 2017.

The Russian-Bolivian Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation aims to promote the development of trade and economic relations. Its first meeting was held in the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra in May 2013, and the second one took place in May 2017 in Moscow.

In 2018, the volume of trade between Russia and Bolivia amounted to $16.6 million, with Russia's exports totaling $8.3 million, and imports amounting to $8.3 million.

Russia exports to Bolivia mostly consist of printed books, newspapers, reproductions and other goods of the typographic industry; ferrous metal products; optical, photographic, cinematographic instruments and apparatus, as well as land transport.

Russian imports include tin and products made of tin, fruits and nuts, inorganic chemical products, and heavy metal mixtures.

The key area of economic cooperation is interaction in the fuel and energy sector.

Russian gas giant Gazprom (20 percent) in partnership with Bolivian companies, such as Total E and P Bolivia (50 percent), TecPetrol de Bolivia (20 percent) and Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB) (10 percent), participates in national gas production projects and in the development of promising oil and gas fields � Ipati and Aquio.

Gazprom (50 percent), jointly with Total E and P Bolivia (50 percent), is also implementing a hydrocarbon exploration project in the Azero block.

Gazprom, Bolivia's Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Energy and YPFB signed a road map for project implementation in the republic. In accordance with the document, the parties agreed to carry out a joint search, exploration, production, and transportation of hydrocarbons in Bolivia and update the General Scheme for the Bolivian gas industry development until 2040. Russian and Bolivian companies also cooperate in the field of personnel training and development.

In 2016, Gazprom and YPFB also concluded an agreement on an exploration of the promising blocks of La Ceiba, Vitiacua and Madidi. La Ceiba and Vitiacua blocks are located in the Chaco oil- and gas-bearing basin in the southern part of Bolivia (Tarija and Chuquisaca departments). Gazprom's interests in Bolivia are represented by Gazprom International B.V., a specialized enterprise for implementing hydrocarbon prospecting, exploration and development foreign projects.

On June 14, 2018, a number of documents aimed at expanding cooperation between Gazprom and Bolivia in the oil and gas sector were signed during a working meeting between Morales and Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller in Moscow. In particular, the parties signed a term sheet regarding the contract for exploration and production in Vitiacua.

Around the same time, Russia's Acron Group, a leading global mineral fertilizer producer, agreed to build two fertilizer plants in Bolivia.

One of the most promising areas of bilateral cooperation is the implementation of the Bolivian national atomic program. In March 2016, the two countries signed an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy and an agreement on cooperation in the construction of a Nuclear Research and Technology Center in Bolivia.

The Bolivian Nuclear Energy Agency (ABEN) and JSC State Specialized Design Institute (part of Russian nuclear energy corporation Rosatom) signed a contract for the construction of a Nuclear Research and Technology Center in El Alto, Bolivia, on September 19, 2017. The project was launched next year in April.

Russia and Bolivia have prospects in enhancing interaction in a military and technical field, mining industry, and education.

In 2009, the two countries signed an intergovernmental agreement on military and technical cooperation and Russia provided a loan to Bolivia in order to modernize the outdated military hardware in the country.

In September 2016, the defense ministers of the two countries signed an agreement on military cooperation at International Military-Technical Forum Army-2016, which was held in Russia.

The Russian-Bolivian Intergovernmental Commission for Military-Technical Cooperation continues to work. Its fourth meeting was held in Moscow from August 21-22, 2017.

In June 2018, the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Bolivian Mining and Metallurgy Ministry signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in geology.

Cooperation in the field of culture, education, and science is developing, including the training of specialists in the priority for the Bolivian side fields, with Russia granting state scholarships to Bolivian students.