OREANDA-NEWS. February 16, 2010. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov paid an official visit to the Republic of Nicaragua from February 13-14. He was received by President Daniel Ortega and held substantive talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs Samuel Santos and an exchange of views with a number of other members of the country’s cabinet of ministers.

During Lavrov’s talks with the Nicaraguan leaders, which passed in an atmosphere of trust and mutual understanding, a keen, in-depth and constructive exchange of views took place on ways of further developing Russian-Nicaraguan ties and interaction on issues pertaining to regional and world politics.

Considerable attention was paid to the state of and prospects for deepening the political dialogue, reinvigorating economic and trade cooperation, realizing humanitarian assistance projects and expanding the juridical base of bilateral relations. The parties expressed the hope that the re-established Russia-Nicaragua Intergovernmental Commission for Trade, Economic and Scientific-Technical Cooperation, and the decision to resume the activities in Managua of the trade mission of the Russian Federation will facilitate making fuller use of the economic capabilities of Russia and Nicaragua in questions of development of bilateral economic ties.

As part of Lavrov’s visit to Managua, the signing of an Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Nicaragua on Mutual Protection of Classified Information took place.

The Minister also visited the Managua-based Central American University (CAU), where after a speech he handed over as a gift to the University on behalf of the Russian World Foundation and the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States a set of books on Russia’s history, art and national traditions for the Russian Center being set up at this educational institution. The event also included the signing of an Agreement on the Creation of the Center by Russian World Foundation Executive Director Vyacheslav Nikonov and CAU Rector Mayra Luz Perez.

At the solemn ceremony of laying a wreath at the monument to Nicaragua’s national hero Augusto Cesar Sandino, the mayor of the Nicaraguan capital handed over a symbolic Key to the City of Managua to Sergey Lavrov.