Nicaragua expands health cooperation with Russia for Central American region

Nicaragua’s adviser for Investments, Trade and International Cooperation, Laureano Ortega, announced at the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg (SPIEF‑2026) that the country’s partnership with Russia is intended to benefit the whole of Central America. The meeting of the mixed commission between the two governments, co‑chaired by Russia’s Federal Medical‑Biological Agency director Veronika Skvortsova, reviewed progress in joint health projects.

Key areas of cooperation include the work of the Mechnikov Latin‑American Biotechnology Institute, which has been operating in Nicaragua for more than a decade and develops an influenza vaccine and an HPV vaccine. Nicaragua is also set to join Russian clinical trials for dengue and cancer vaccines. The partnership extends beyond health to trade, investment and banking, and Nicaragua seeks observer status in the Eurasian Economic Union.