Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L) meets with his Venezuelan counterpart, Jorge Arreaza, in Caracas, Venezuela, Feb. 7, 2020. (Xinhua/Marcos Salgado)

 
Venezuela and Russia have agreed to increase investment in diverse spheres despite sanctions by the United States, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during his visit to Caracas.

"We have agreed on our path of future work, to deepen economic cooperation of investments in other areas, despite illegitimate sanctions," Lavrov said after meeting with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Friday.

The priority sectors for investment are energy, natural resources, industry, and agriculture, Lavrov said, adding that great importance would also be placed on developing military cooperation.

In reference to the negotiations between the Venezuelan government and the opposition, Lavrov extended his support to Maduro for his attempts to launch national dialogue.

Delcy Rodriguez, vice president of Venezuela, said that this year, the governments of Russia and Venezuela would celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations.

"In the framework of the 75th anniversary of our relationship, we will be holding in Venezuela (a session of) the (Russia-Venezuela) High-Level Intergovernmental Commission, where we will be ratifying and expanding economic cooperation," Rodriguez said.

The Russian foreign minister arrived in Caracas on Friday morning as part of his Latin American tour, which had taken him to Mexico and Cuba.