Русский
Moscow and Caracas intend to restore tourist exchanges, according to Russian Ambassador to Venezuela Sergey Melik-Bagdasarov. He stated that “At a meeting with Daniela Cabello, the Venezuelan minister of tourism, a mutual commitment to resuming tourist exchanges was confirmed. Coordination of logistical and technical issues will continue at the level of relevant departments and responsible economic operators.”
Venezuela has been governed by the acting vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, since the elected president, Nicolás Maduro, was abducted by US forces and flown to face charges in the United States in January. Russian tourists were advised to leave Venezuela immediately after the US actions. Previously, an estimated 15,000 Russian tourists were expected to visit the country each year, while weekly charter flights had been operational between Moscow and Porlamar (Isla Margarita) since August 2025.
The ambassador also stated that Moscow and Caracas remain in regular contact and continue developing bilateral projects, and there has been no reduction of bilateral ties. He said that “we continue to maintain regular communication with Venezuelan authorities. The talk of any decrease in contacts is unfounded. In early March, special envoy of the Russian foreign minister for Latin America and the Caribbean and head of the Foreign Ministry’s Latin American Department, Alexander Shchetinin, visited Caracas, where he was received by Foreign Minister Yvan Gil. He also held other meetings. Recently, I have met several times with authorized President Delcy Rodriguez, with Foreign Minister Gil, and with heads of a number of agencies, with whom we discussed the development of numerous bilateral projects.”
