Moscow, Nov. 1 (RHC-NNN) – Russian Senate President Valentina Matvienko has expressed the legislative body's willingness to strengthen ties with member states of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) and the Latin American Parliament (PARLATINO).

Matvienko met Friday with the visiting speaker of the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of Uruguay Hannibal Pereyra. During the meeting, the two parliamentarians expressed a common interest in strengthening bilateral and multilateral ties.

The Russian legislator recalled that in 2010 the Russian Senate signed a cooperation agreement with Mercosur and urged Uruguay's contribution and support to strengthening those ties.

Senator Matvienko stressed that strengthened Russian relations with Latin America is among Moscow's top foreign policy priorities.

'Our country,' stressed Matvienko, 'advocates a multipolar world, the nations' strict adherence to international law and the key role of the UN, and we strongly and categorically reject any foreign interference in the internal affairs of States.'

Matvienko made clear that Uruguay is a reliable partner, safe and good friend of Russia.

Hannibal Pereyra, meanwhile, attached great importance to this first official visit by a president of the Uruguayan House of Representatives in what he called 'the process of rapid approximation of our countries'.