Putin sees no need for bases in Cuba, Venezuela
Associated Press
MOSCOW -- -- Russia does not need to build permanent naval bases in Cuba
or Venezuela, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, speaking
amid a Kremlin push to increase Moscow's influence in Latin America.
In an annual televised question-and-answer session with Russians, Putin
said Russia has "very warm traditional ties'' with Cuba and Venezuela.
They were prominent stops on a Latin America tour that his protege,
President Dmitry Medvedev, ended late last month by meeting with
Soviet-era ally Fidel Castro.
"Today there is no need to build permanent bases'' in Cuba and
Venezuela, Putin said in response to a question. He said Russia has an
agreement allowing its warships to use Venezuelan ports for refueling
and resupply, "and I think the Cuban leadership would not refuse this."
The Russian nuclear-powered missile cruiser Peter the Great and
destroyer Admiral Chabanenko conducted joint exercises with Venezuelan
forces in the Caribbean Sea on Monday, an activity unprecedented since
the Cold War.
The warships sailed across the Atlantic at the invitation of Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez, who campaigns against U.S. influence in the
hemisphere, adding to his growing military ties with the Kremlin.
On Friday, one of the vessels is to be the first Russian warship since
World War II to sail through the Panama Canal -- long a symbol of U.S.
regional clout.
As the Kremlin signals hope for improved U.S. ties under the
administration of President-elect Barack Obama, the remarks may have
been aimed at assuring Washington that Russia's recent flurry of
activity in Latin America is not part of a Cold War-style power struggle
with the United States.
At the same time, Putin suggested Russia's military and political ties
are growing, regionally and globally.
"We have quite a lot of opportunities, and not only with the countries
that you mentioned, but also at the ports of other states," he said.
"I want to tell you a 'terrible military secret,"' Putin said. ''When we
announced that our military ships would go to Venezuela for joint
exercises, we received very many inquiries -- frankly speaking, I didn't
expect this -- from many countries with requests that our ships visit
their ports."
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/cuba/story/799338.html
No comments:
Post a Comment