"Nicaragua can be a showcase for Russian goods in Central America"
Nicaragua is interested in increasing exports of its traditional goods, in particular coffee, seafood and tobacco, to the Russian Federation. In return, the country can become a hub for the supply of Russian products to other countries in Central and Latin America. This was stated to Izvestia by Laureano Ortega, special representative of the President of Nicaragua for the development of relations with the Russian Federation, who led his country's delegation to the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow. Managua is also interested in concluding a strategic partnership agreement with the Russian Federation, and the country continues to take steps towards BRICS membership and observer status in the EAEU. In an exclusive interview with Laureano Ortega, Izvestia spoke about the development of trade, joint projects with the Russian Federation in the field of medicine and the prospects of launching direct flights to boost tourism.
"We consider ourselves a strategic partner of Russia"
— On May 8, on the eve of Victory Day celebrations, you attended Vladimir Putin's meeting with foreign guests of the parade. Did you manage to talk to the Russian leader personally?
— Yes, we took part in a welcome dinner organized for the heads of foreign delegations. Vladimir Putin greeted us briefly, but very warmly and fraternally.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Special Representative of the President of Nicaragua for cooperation with Russia Laureano Ortega Murillo during a meeting in the Kremlin.
— One of the important news these days was the signing of the strategic partnership agreement between Russia and Venezuela. This is the first such agreement between the Russian Federation and a state from Latin America. Is Nicaragua interested in signing a similar agreement with Russia?
— Of course, yes. We consider ourselves a strategic partner of Russia, and this type of agreement could further strengthen ties between our countries and, as a result, would lead to mutual benefit. We will work in this direction.
— In December 2024, Russia and Nicaragua celebrated 80 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations. How would you describe the current level of cooperation between our countries, where there is potential for its development?
— The political relations between our countries are excellent, they are at the highest level, we are fraternal peoples. President Vladimir Putin and Nicaraguan co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo are ideologically aligned. In my opinion, the political and diplomatic relations between our countries could not be better.
But the task that we still have to solve is to strengthen trade ties and increase Russian investments in the Nicaraguan business. Our economic cooperation can show exponential growth.
Nicaragua is a very attractive country for foreign investment with a strong legal framework: investors and entrepreneurs from other countries have the same rights as Nicaraguan citizens. In addition, we have an incentive program that makes investments more profitable. In addition, we have a fairly privileged geographical location.
For us, Russia is the gateway to the Eurasian economic space, to which we can offer meat, coffee, rum, tobacco, seafood, crustaceans, fish, sugar, peanuts. All these products are in high demand in the EAEU countries, and Nicaragua can provide them with them. In addition, we can also supply products from other Central American countries.
We are working on all these issues, including within the framework of interparliamentary cooperation.
"We expect the status of an observer country in BRICS"
— In 2024, Nicaragua expressed interest in becoming a part of the BRICS. But that hasn't happened yet. When is it worth waiting for?
— We understand that there are certain mechanisms within the association. Nicaragua has already officially submitted its application to join the BRICS. We understand that this process has its own time frame and its own characteristics. We hope that we will be able to achieve inclusion in the association during this or the next interim presidency (Brazil holds the BRICS presidency in 2025, and India will assume this right in 2026. — Ed.). We hope that soon we will be able to become a BRICS partner country. We understand the importance of this block and remain interested in becoming a part of it.
— During our last conversation in December 2024, you reported that Nicaragua was working to obtain observer status at the EAEU. Has any success been achieved in this area?
— Last December, the first meeting of the working group between the EAEU and Nicaragua was held. Then we developed a plan, thanks to which we are already engaged in the exchange of information between our Ministry of Trade and the relevant bodies of the EAEU. We are discussing issues related to customs control and sanitary requirements. We are studying how best we could enter the EAEU market, as well as to ensure that products from these countries reach our market, and from Nicaragua to other Central American countries.
We expect the status of an observer country, but this does not prevent us from strengthening trade ties with all the EAEU countries right now.
— According to the data for 2023, the trade turnover between Russia and Nicaragua has grown. And how did its volume change in 2024, and which goods topped the top exports and imports?
— Our trade with Russia is increasing largely due to intergovernmental agreements. For example, thanks to them, buses and vaccines against COVID-19 were delivered to Nicaragua. We continue to import them now. Thanks to this, we are not only protecting our population, but also demonstrating their effectiveness to other Central American countries so that they will also be interested in buying these products. We want Nicaragua to be a showcase for Russian products.
In 2024, imports from Russia to Nicaragua totaled $195 million. These were mainly vaccines and other medical products, nitrogen fertilizers, cargo transport, fans, vodka, and wires.
As for exports to Russia, we are constantly working to increase their volume, which is not easy, because historically, Nicaraguan companies have focused more on the markets of North, Central, South America and Europe.
It is not easy to adjust to new markets, but companies are working to export more products to Russia and the EAEU. In order to increase exports of our products to the Russian Federation, we would like Russian companies to invest more in our business and stimulate the production of those goods in which the Russian consumer is interested.
— You said that Nicaragua could become a transshipment point for the export of Russian products to other Central American countries. Have any States already expressed this interest in a conversation with Nicaraguan representatives?
— Other countries have already positively assessed the Russian grain export program to Nicaragua — it is the best grain in the world, of excellent quality. The export of Russian buses also attracted attention. Business circles are expressing interest, and we think there is a great opportunity to create some kind of bridges between Russia and other countries in the region through Nicaragua.
— How strongly has the tariff policy of the new US administration affected Nicaragua?
— Tariffs have been imposed on almost all countries and affect them on different scales. As for Central America, we have a free trade agreement with the United States, and these tariffs have practically torn up this agreement, but we will continue to work anyway.
We attend all meetings to understand how the countries of our region will respond to such measures from the United States. We also see that the US authorities often change their position, so we need to monitor all statements and make decisions that will contribute to our growth and stability of our economy, and improve the well-being of our people.
Now more than 50% of our exports are aimed at the United States, and we understand that we need to diversify markets. We will continue to cooperate with American companies based on respect and fulfillment of conditions that will allow these companies to continue investing in our economy.
We know how to separate the government's position from the position of ordinary people, so we will continue to promote this trade and these investments. But it is economically not quite right for the country to be so tied to one market. That's why we're working on diversification.
"Nicaragua should be interesting for Russian tourists"
— Russia and Nicaragua are working together on a project for a nuclear medicine center. Are other projects in the field of medicine and pharmaceuticals being discussed?
— Our main priority in the field of healthcare is the Nuclear medicine center, a project that we are developing jointly with Rosatom. We have made significant progress in its implementation, and we have already started looking for financing to begin construction of the center in Managua this year. The government has chosen a location for this.
Also, our priority in the healthcare sector is to increase production at the Latin American Institute of Biotechnology Mechnikov (this is a production site owned by the St. Petersburg Research Institute of Vaccines and Serums of the FMBA of Russia. — Ed.) They are working on the production of new medicines there.
— The visa—free regime between our countries is an obvious incentive for the development of tourism. Is Managua interested in increasing the flow of Russian tourists?
— Nicaragua should and, we think, will be a place of attraction for Russian tourists in the coming years. This is how it should be, because we are fraternal peoples, we love Russians, and we will always welcome Russian tourists.
Our country is very different from Russia, so this is a great adventure for tourists. Since we have a small territory, in 1-2 weeks you can see many places: from the beaches of the Pacific Ocean to the beaches of the Caribbean, volcanoes, mountainous terrain where coffee, rum, sugar and tobacco are produced, as well as colonial cities with a history.
We think that this adventure will even have a touch of nostalgia for Russian tourists, because we have a long history of fraternity with Russia. In order to increase the tourist flow, we hope to simplify flights in the coming years. It is possible to arrange flights from Moscow with a transfer in Cuba or establish direct flights to Managua. We discussed this possibility with Russian airlines, in particular, Aeroflot, Rossiya, and Nordwind.
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