Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Venezuela's Chavez arrives in Russia for arms talks

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrived in Moscow on Tuesday, kicking off a European tour with a two-day visit to Russia expected to focus on arms purchases and tightening ties with the Kremlin. An outspoken critic of the United States, Chavez was to meet with both Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, whose foreign policy has been increasingly frosty toward Washington in recent years. 'Russia and Venezuela must become strategic allies in the oil sphere and in military-technical cooperation,' the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Chavez as saying upon arrival. 'This will guarantee the sovereignty of Venezuela, because we are now threatened by the United States,' he added. Chavez was greeted by officials after his plane landed three hours late, an AFP journalist at Moscow's Vnukovo airport said. His visit to Russia is the first leg of a European tour that will take in Belarus, Portugal and Spain. Chavez was originally due to arrive on Monday but the visit was postponed by one day. Chavez's talks with Russian officials are widely expected to focus on arms purchases, which if signed would tighten Moscow's relationship with one of Washington's fiercest critics.
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1 comment:

  1. AnonymousJuly 22, 2008 at 7:46 AM

    I am very glad to hear the President Hugo Chavez Frias of Venezuela is on a friendly visit to Russia, and will further trade deals for the improvement of his country.

    What I cannot understand is why the U.S. mainstream press is so annoyed that Chavez is going to buy defensive weapons from Russia. Does the U.S. fear that a Venezuela that can protect itself, will make any U.S. attempt to invade that country costly? Why else would the government and the press in the U.S. be so angry. What the U.S. does not realize is that they cannot do to Venezuela what they did to IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN. The glory days of U.S. Imperialism are over, and it might help the U.S. to come to that realization.

    Now, is Russia's turn to trade with any country that wants its help. The U.S. has long been on the decline and it will soon recede into the pages of history as a SUPER POWER that was, NOT IS. It would be better for the Bush regime to accept the situation and take a back seat in world affairs.

    Sincerely,

    Kenneth T. Tellis

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