Lavrov lands in Dominican Republic to boost bilateral ties

Lavrov traveled to Santo Domingo from the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ gathering in Rio

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov landed in the Dominican Republic on Monday evening, his first trip to the Caribbean country and coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations on March 8, 1945. Lavrov sat with his Dominican counterpart, Roberto Álvarez, in a private meeting and a joint session with their delegations, followed by a press conference. Lavrov’s delegation included Russian Ambassador-designate Alexei Viktorovich Seredin and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov.

Local media reported a possible courtesy visit with President Luis Abinader, though unconfirmed. The visit, following Lavrov’s attendance at a BRICS meeting in Brazil, aims to strengthen political, economic, tourism, cultural, and humanitarian ties, with the opening of a Russian Embassy in Santo Domingo planned for June 2025.

Welcoming Lavrov at Santo Domingo’s Las Americas International Airport was Vice Minister of Bilateral Foreign Policy, Francisco Caraballo, on behalf of Álvarez. Also present was Dominican Ambassador to Moscow Alejandro Arias.

Lavrov sent a telegram to his Dominican counterpart, expressing Russia’s interest in deepening political, economic, tourism, cultural, and humanitarian cooperation with the Dominican Republic, which triggered the present series of negotiations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has also expressed his interest in developing political, economic, and cultural cooperation with the Dominican Republic, highlighting the increase in the flow of Russian tourists to the Caribbean country.

In a joint post-meeting press conference, Lavrov and Álvarez concurred on Tuesday that their encounter had been “fruitful” and “very productive.” Among other topics, they reviewed “how the discussions on United Nations reform are developing” and “the trends we see in the context of the multipolar order.” No questions were allowed.