The Foreign Minister of Venezuela, Carlos Faría, indicated that the Russian Government is making efforts to take the use of the ruble to other destinations, and stressed that in the case of Venezuela, tourism would be favored by the visit of Russian tourists to the Caribbean country.
“It is not a secret that Russia is trying to take the possibility of using the ruble to other destinations, either for the marketing of its raw materials, but also looking for a way for its tourists, anyone who has an account in rubles within of the Russian Federation (…) In the case of Venezuela, the issue of tourism would be greatly favored, since we know that hundreds of tourists have been coming to Margarita Island,” the official said in an interview with Sputnik during the 77th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Read also: Check out our coverage on Venezuela
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced on August 25 the reopening of direct flights from Moscow to Porlamar, in the state of Nueva Esparta (north), starting on October 1, which are expected to have a frequency of five per week, in which 440 tourists will arrive in each one.
In that sense, Faría said that it is a reconnection of the air route that had been suspended after Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, due to the sanctions that were applied against the Eurasian nation that prevent the use of the routes that normally use planes to reach the American continent.
In May 2021, Venezuela and Russia inaugurated direct Caracas-Moscow flights.
On the other hand, the president of the Central Bank of Venezuela, Calixto Ortega, said on June 16 that he expects the Russian Mir payment system to be operational in the South American country this year.
With information from Sputnik