Above: Bridgetown (CJ Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Barbados and Russia are planning increased cooperation in a number of areas, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Russia’s Ambassador to Nikolay Smirnov, recently paid a courtesy call on Barbados Foreign Minister Senator Maxine McClean to discuss a range of potential areas of partnership, including the appointment of an honorary consul of Barbados in Russia, the use of a Russian vessel to carry out seismic scientific estimation and training opportunities.

Smirnov also said that Barbados could become an “excellent” destination for Russian tourists. That’s not out of the realm of possibility, as Russian tourists have increasingly been looking to the Caribbean for their vacations, notably the Dominican Republic and Jamaica.

McClean said Barbados is interested in pursuing a Double Taxation agreement with Russia “given the structure of their economy and the importance of international business to the island’s economy.”

The two countries have had diplomatic relations for more than 20 years.