Morales visits Suriname
Bolivian president Evo Morales and President Desi Bouterse will reportedly hold top discussions during a meeting that is scheduled to take place today at the Presidential Palace. Morales is also scheduled to return to his plane at noon and leave for Russia to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Bolivia is interested in procurement of Russian military equipment, considering to replace US jets with Russian analogues, said the country’s president. “There is a great interest in purchasing Russian military equipment, including aviation equipment, and in services,” Evo Morales said in an interview with Sputnik. He stressed that a joint commission is working on the issue and he hopes that technology transfer would bring “good results”.
Sources told Times of Suriname that Bouterse and Morales who are two loyal allies of each other will discuss the latest developments of the South American continent. Both countries plan on intensifying the friendly ties with Russia. Bolivia will consider the possibility of new nuclear power projects with Russia after the construction of the Nuclear Research and Technology Center, which is now being built in Bolivia, the country’s energy minister, Rafael Alarcon, told Sputnik. Bolivia is also interested in the participation of Russian companies in the implementation of hydropower projects in the country
Morales will also put in a good word for Suriname during his meeting with Putin. President Bouterse also plans on meeting his Russian counterpart, Putin, but it is still unclear when this meeting will take place especially given the fact that all of the president’s foreign trips have been temporarily put on hold.
Bouterse and Morales are on the same page when it comes to the Venezuelan crisis and the course that must be followed within the Organization of American States (OAS) in order to find a solution to the many problems in Venezuela that have become a humanitarian crisis, leading to the exodus of millions of people to neighboring countries.
Suriname and Bolivia are expected to ink three bilateral agreementsone of which is a MOU. “The MOU is aimed at establishing and maintaining regular consultations between both ministries regarding a wide range of topics,” said Miriam Mac Intosch, director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Buza).