MOSCOW – The Paraguayan foreign minister visited Moscow for the first time on Tuesday to meet with his Russian counterpart.

Eladio Loizaga said that the objective of his visit to Russia was to reinforce relations between the two countries.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov highlighted stable links between both nations as he received the Paraguayan diplomat at his official residence in the Russian capital.

Lavrov added that the pair would discuss behind closed doors the development of their relations in diverse areas, including economics and collaboration in the fight against extremism and terrorism.

Loizaga expressed gratitude for a visit to Paraguay by Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus’ Kirill, pointing out that it was his first trip after meeting with Pope Francis in Havana, Cuba.