Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has arrived in Moscow, where he is expected to hold talks with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
Maduro, who is under pressure from protesters at home and from Western governments that say he has become increasingly authoritarian, is attending the Russian Energy Week conference.
The Kremlin said earlier that Maduro will meet with Putin in Moscow on October 4 for talks focusing on "the development of a strategic partnership between the two countries in various spheres" as well as international and regional issues.
Maduro said ahead of his trip to Moscow that he will then visit Belarus on October 5 and hold talks with top officials on bilateral cooperation in housing construction, industrial development, and trade.
Maduro said that after Belarus, he will travel to Turkey to chair an intergovernmental commission meeting focusing on "boosting bilateral cooperation in financial, energy, agro-industrial, and military spheres."
