MOSCOW

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov inaugurated on Wednesday the Russian Embassy in Santo Domingo, the capital of Dominican Republic.

Lavrov's visit was the first ever by a Russian foreign minister to the Caribbean nation in eight decades of bilateral relations.

"This is the first visit of the Russian foreign minister to the Dominican Republic in the history of relations that mark 80 years this year. Today's visit is timed to coincide with the opening of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Santo Domingo," Lavrov said at a news conference on the results of his meeting with top Dominican diplomat Roberto Alvarez.

Lavrov said the Russian ambassador has been working in the republic for several weeks, focusing mainly on the organizational matters.

"The Dominican Republic is our promising partner in Latin America and the Caribbean," Lavrov said. "Both sides noted that there are significant opportunities for deepening our trade and economic cooperation."

The minister highlighted that both countries recognize substantial opportunities for advancing bilateral relations and fostering investment partnerships.