"The [Russian] president sends you a warm greeting. He asked me to convey that he is ready for interactions on any issues, bilateral and international," Lavrov told Lula at the beginning of the meeting.
On February 19, Lavrov kicked off his Latin American tour with a visit to Cuba, where he met with President Miguel Diaz-Canel and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez. On February 20, he arrived in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, where he met with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
After the visit to Venezuela, Lavrov has already arrived in Rio de Janeiro, where he is taking part in the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting from February 21-22. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the first meeting within the framework of the Brazilian presidency in the G20 will be devoted to the problems of the modern international agenda, focusing on the settlement of geopolitical contradictions and the reform of global economic institutions.
Lavrov has already met with with his counterparts from Turkey, South Africa, Egypt, Brazil and other countries on the sidelines of the G20 meeting, but said he had no contacts with the top diplomats of the Western nations.