Lavrov says he invited Venezuelan counterpart to visit Russia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday he had invited his Venezuelan counterpart, Yvan Gil Pinto, to visit Russia when he deems it convenient.

"I have invited Mr. Minister to visit Russia at a time he deems convenient," TASS reports Lavrov as saying after talks with the top Venezuelan diplomat.

Lavrov also expressed hope that the development of multinational bodies, such as the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and other regional processes, will help to preserve the identity of the region and ensure that it has "equal footing in discussions about the future world order."

"These processes are very healthy in nature, and we value the role played by Venezuela in those processes, as it is actively supporting the creation of new positive processes with the framework of CELAC and promoting [Venezuelan President Nicolas] Maduro’s initiative known as [United] Big Motherland," the Russian minister said.