Alvaro Garcia Gutierrez, charge d'affaires a.i. of the Republic of Ecuador in Moscow, said in a RIA Novosti interview that the sides are expected to conclude archive cooperation treaties and a protocol of intent on bilateral and interregional cooperation.
He recalled that on Monday, during the visit to St Petersburg by Patricio Zuquilanda, the sides agreed to establish twinned relations between St Petersburg and the Ecuadorian city of Guyaquil.
Patricio Zuquilanda, speaking in Moscow at a meeting with Russian and Ecuadorian businessmen, made a special note of the fact that his first visit to Russia was part of Ecuador's political programme towards European countries.
"Until now Ecuador's foreign policy has been very closely linked with the US, but Ecuador and other Andean countries have decided that it is necessary to extend the political border with countries of the whole world," he said.
"One can hope for every support by the Ecuadorian government for activities that will contribute to the enrichment of the Russian and Ecuadorian economies," Zuquilanda emphasised.
Ecuador imports from Russia mainly machines and equipment, metal structures, fertilisers, and electric domestic appliances.
Main exports are bananas and flowers. Besides, cocoa, coffee, tropical plant essences, woolen articles, and furniture from valuable wood species are supplied to the Russian market.
"Ecuador is one of Russia's leading partners in the region. This state ranks second in trade among Latin American countries," Alexander Yakovenko, an official Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman, said in a RIA Novosti interview.
The visit by the head of the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry "is designed to further cement the successfully developing Russian-Ecuadorian political dialogue. Closeness or identity of approaches of our countries to the basic issues of the present time are a good basis for this dialogue," Yakovenko added.
