Russia is interested in sending a naval fleet to South America and the Caribbean, according to remarks made by Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. “We've been informed that the Russian government wants to visit Venezuela…If they come, they'll be welcomed,” said Chavez who also reiterated prior criticism of the reestablishment of a U.S. Navy fleet in the Americas.White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe mentioned that Chavez’ remarks were “curious” and criticized him for ignoring “the problems that the people of Venezuela are having.”
Chavez continued to emphasize his country’s deepening ties with Russia by condemning Georgia in its dispute with Russia over the province of South Ossetia.
Could this all lead to a Russian military alliance with Venezuela? PostGlobal commentator Carlos Alberto Montaner explains:
The Kremlin's next step in its confrontation with the United States could be the establishment of some sort of military alliance with Cuba and Venezuela…
Nor is the idea of a Russian military base in Venezuela harebrained. As reported by the German news agency DPA, President Hugo Chavez mentioned that possibility during his recent trip to Moscow, although he later denied saying it. To Chavez, that would be another way to strengthen his power as the leader of what he calls "21st-Century socialism," a Third World political family whose principal foe is the government of the United States.
Image- eluniversal.com (“The Venezuelan President met for the first time with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev” last month)
Sources- AFP, forbes.com, PostGlobal, Bloomberg, The Latin Americanist, MSNBC, Economic Times
Just further proof that Chavez is full of hot air. Yes, what's the big deal if the Russians send a "naval fleet" on a Cuban and/or Venezuela journey..? Do you think that they will scare the Americans...? We're not talking about the old Soviet Union here. Russia today is at most a regional power when it comes to conventional weapons.
ReplyDeleteYes, they have nuclear weapons but they are off limits in Latin America by way of the Treaty of Tlatelolco. There's also the little matter of Venezuela being one of the founding nations in the South America Defense Council. How do you square Venezuela's responsabilities to the SADC and its members nations with a potential military alliance with Russia?
I'll have to agree with Gordon Johndroe assestment... this is just another Chavez curiosity.