Русский
Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, met with his Bolivian counterpart Celinda Sosa in Moscow on Friday (April 26). The Bolivian diplomat is paying a two-day visit to Russia on April 26 and 27. Discussed were bilateral ties, political dialogue, ways of broadening cooperation in various sectors and improving the legislative and contractual framework, as well as Bolivia’s interest in joining the BRICS group.
Sosa said that “Special attention is being paid on ways to improving bilateral cooperation on the international arena.”
Positive Dynamics
Russia and Bolivia maintain an intense bilateral dialogue. Last year, President Vladimir Putin held a talks with his Bolivian counterpart Luis Arce, and met with Lavrov on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in South Africa’s Johannesburg.
“Russia and Bolivia share similar conceptual approaches to key issues on the global agenda, including the fundamental principles of international relations, such as sovereign equality of states, rule of law, indivisible security, unacceptability of interference into domestic affairs. Together, our two countries stand against illegitimate pressure of sanctions aimed at punishing undesirable governments,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Celinda Sosa is also known for publicly speaking against unilateral sanctions on countries.
The Russian Foreign Ministry noted the positive dynamics of economic cooperation between the two countries. Russia and Bolivia have established an Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation. Russia-Bolivia bilateral trade is currently about US$120 million per annum with Russia exporting the bulk of this. However, Moscow is on the lookout for new agricultural partners meaning Bolivian exporters now have the opportunity to increase their share. Another key trade area likely to receive a boost is lithium carbonate, a critical component in the growing electric vehicle and renewable energy sectors and of which Bolivia has important reserves.
BRICS Membership
In July 2023, Bolivian President Luis Arce officially notified BRICS of his country’s interest in joining the grouping. Russia holds the organization’s rotating presidency this year, so the issue of Bolivia’s membership will be high on the agenda of the upcoming BRICS meetings in Moscow. Russian officials and diplomats said on several occasions that the Russian presidency will come up with practical recommendations regarding the category of BRICS partner countries before the summit in Kazan in October.
“In its capacity of the group’s rotating chairman in 2024, the Russian side is poised to help La Paz engage more broadly in cooperation with BRICS,” the ministry said.
Bolivia is a member of the South American Mercosur free trade bloc which also includes Brazil – another BRICS member.
Further Reading
Russia-Bolivia 2024 Trade & Development
Russia-Bolivia trade and development is comprehensively discussed in our 2024 Russia’s Pivot to Asia PDF guide. That is a complimentary download and can be accessed in English here and in Russian here.
