First Russian embassy opens in Paraguay

Russia for the first time has opened an embassy in Paraguay, underscoring its growing presence throughout Latin America.

“With the exception of Suriname, Paraguay is the only South American country where we did not have an embassy. Now we have corrected this historical injustice,” said Russia’s new ambassador Igor Ezhov, one day after the taking office.

He said Moscow hoped to stoke bilateral and regional trade relations, including the areas of defense and energy.

Moscow has recently signed a series of trade and energy deals in the region with leftist nations that tend to oppose US policies, including Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia.