LatinNews Daily - 17 November 2023

* Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Yván Gil has met his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Moscow for discussions on how to deepen financial cooperation and mitigate the impact of Western sanctions. Gil said that relations between Russia and Venezuela are in their “greatest era” and highlighted recent meetings between central bank officials from both countries aimed at boosting bilateral trade in their national currencies. With regard to this, Lavrov highlighted the growing use of Russia’s Mir card payment system in Venezuela, and said that steps to reduce the dominance of the US dollar in global trade are being taken by the Brics group of countries (Brazil, Russia, China, India, and South Africa). This, according to the Venezuelan statement, is “fundamental for protection against the unilateral coercive measures imposed by the US and its allies”.