Venezuela, Russia Mull Cooperation in Electric Power Sector - Vice President

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Caracas and Moscow are discussing the possibility of concluding an agreement in the electric power sector following a recent series of blackouts that swept through the Latin American country, Venezuela’s Vice President for Planning Ricardo Menendez said Wednesday.

Menendez is currently in Moscow to attend a meeting of the Russian-Venezuelan intergovernmental commission on April 4-5.

“Another important topic of discussion is the topic of electricity, this aspect is especially important after the attacks that have been made on the [power supply] system. And in this regard, we also intend to cooperate with Russia… This is the agenda and we will work during the meeting to see what we can conclude,” Menendez told reporters.

READ MORE: Electricity Supply Restored to Nearly All of Venezuela Following Blackout

The Venezuelan vice president added that cooperation in the oil, finance and agriculture sectors would be among other topics on the agenda of the meeting.

On March 7, a massive blackout swept through the majority of Venezuelan states. National electricity supplier Corpoelec insisted that the blackout was the result of sabotage at the major Guri hydroelectric power plant in the country's east. Maduro has pinned the blame for the crisis on the United States, while Washington has denied having a role in the blackout.