Moscow - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez met with his
Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on a two-day Russian tour Friday
as the countries expand military ties and close ranks in opposition
to the United States.
Going into talks with Medvedev, Chavez reiterated his 'full and
firm' support for Russia in its war with Georgia last month, which
the US roundly condemned.
Medvedev and Chavez were meeting in the southern Russian city of
Orenburg, near the border with Kazakhstan, where the Russian
president is touring the regions.
'We meet in Orenburg, but this will not stop us from accomplishing
some good deeds. We will sign a number of agreements to strengthen
our cooperation,' Medvedev was quoted by news agency Interfax as
saying.
Chavez was welcomed in Moscow late Thursday on his second trip in
as many months by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin with an offer to hike
arms sales to Venezuela and share nuclear energy expertise.
The Venezuelan leader's visit comes as four Russian warships
sailed to Venezuela for joint military exercises in the Caribbean.
Two Russian Tu-160 nuclear bombers flew sorties from a base in
Venezuela last week.
Russia's rapprochement with fiery US critic Chavez looks set to
exacerbate an already tense security standoff with Washington over
Russia's war with US ally Georgia last month.
'Latin America is becoming a noticeable link in the chain of the
multi-polar world that is forming,' Putin said ahead of talks with
Chavez at his country residence. 'We will pay more and more mind to
this vector of our economic and foreign policy.'
A Kremlin official, who spoke on the usual condition of anonymity,
said Thursday that Russia would loan 1 billion dollars to Caracas for
future weapons purchases.
Russia has sealed weapons contracts with Venezuela worth more than
4.4 billion dollars from 2005, the official said.
Russian newspapers reported that Venezuela sought more Sukhoi
fighter jets, Kalashnikov assault rifles and missile defence systems
to modernize its military.
Putin also said that Russia was 'ready to look at the possibility
of cooperation in the sphere of nuclear energy.' He didn't give
further details.
Moscow has butted heads with Washington in its effort to market
its nuclear power expertise since the fall of the Soviet Union.
Disagreements this week forced the cancellation of UN talks on more
sanctions on Iran for its nuclear energy programme, developed in
cooperation with Russia.
Both leaders have said their partnership aims to decrease US
influence.
In an interview with Russia's Vesti-24 television station Chavez
said on Sunday that 'Latin America needs friends like Russia now' to
rid itself of 'imperial domination.'
Popular Russian daily Moskovsky Kommsomolets summed up the growing
relations between both states as 'the enemy of my enemy is my
friend,' and state mouthpiece Rossiiskaya Gazeta wrote Friday that
anti-Americanism was the 'catalyst' for warming relations.
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