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Alexander Nemenov, Pool/AP
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, right, with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, right, with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Arms, Oil and a Global Alliance Drive Chavez’s Visit to Russia
July 24, 2008 07:01 AM
A recent visit to Russia by Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez sparked worried speculation about a closer, more strategic relationship between the two countries.
30-Second Summary
Hoping to create a closer diplomatic and economic collaboration between himself and newly inaugurated president Dmitry Medvedev, Chavez traveled to Moscow to discuss an increased Russian oil presence in Venezuela and to seal a €1.25 billion arms deal for his country.
Moreover, Chavez took the opportunity to promote a more cohesive force against what he sees as an economic and possibly military threat from the United States.
“Russia and Venezuela must become strategic allies in the oil sphere and in military-technical cooperation,” Chavez announced. “This will guarantee the sovereignty of Venezuela because we are now threatened by the United States.”
Chavez followed up that as a part of the oil agreement, Russian armed forces would be welcomed and supported in Venezuela.
While both presidents took pains to note that their visit was strictly a business affair, some observers have become suspicious of what a Russia-Venezuela alliance could mean for the United States.
A U.S. State Department spokesman remarked that developing ties between the two nations had possible implications for “regional stability” in South America.
However, one regional expert remarked that given the U.S. presence in a number of former-Soviet republics, including Georgia, it was hardly surprising for Russia to try to make in-roads in South America.
Moreover, Chavez took the opportunity to promote a more cohesive force against what he sees as an economic and possibly military threat from the United States.
“Russia and Venezuela must become strategic allies in the oil sphere and in military-technical cooperation,” Chavez announced. “This will guarantee the sovereignty of Venezuela because we are now threatened by the United States.”
Chavez followed up that as a part of the oil agreement, Russian armed forces would be welcomed and supported in Venezuela.
While both presidents took pains to note that their visit was strictly a business affair, some observers have become suspicious of what a Russia-Venezuela alliance could mean for the United States.
A U.S. State Department spokesman remarked that developing ties between the two nations had possible implications for “regional stability” in South America.
However, one regional expert remarked that given the U.S. presence in a number of former-Soviet republics, including Georgia, it was hardly surprising for Russia to try to make in-roads in South America.
Headline Links: ‘Venezuela’s Chavez Calls for Alliance With Russia’
Though he billed his trip as focused on economics, Hugo Chavez’s visit to Moscow highlights what he sees as an important relationship between Venezuela and Russia—one where his country receives protection from threats from the United States.
Source: ABC News
While the United States has long since relied on the South America to be their reliable “stomping grounds,” the increased alliance between Russia and Venezuela suggests a shift in regional influence, representing a “slap in the face” to the two countries’ common adversary: the United States.
Source: EuroNews
Background: Russian-Venezuelan relations
The military and economic partnership between Russia and Venezuela, as well as the worry surrounding it, is hardly new. Talks with former president Vladimir Putin in 2006 saw Chavez suggest more collaboration in opposition to the United States and specifically George W. Bush, but also more of a Russian presence in South America.
Source: The Financial Times
Though Russia and the United States enjoyed a healthy relationship early in the first term of George W. Bush, Russia’s alliance with Venezuela is just the latest of several events to put strain on the relations between the two countries.
Source: NPR
The meeting between Chavez and Medvedev appears to be a way of repairing strained relations between the two countries after it was announced earlier this year that Russia would discuss an arms sale to Colombia; a country currently at odds with Venezuela.
Source: Kommersant
Reaction: Russian influence in South America
Critical worry surrounding the increased collaboration between the two countries centers around the €1.5 billion arms deal agreed upon this week, adding to a previous €2.5 billion agreement. Critics note that the deal signals an effort to inject Russian influence into South America, where the United States has traditionally had more presence.
Source: Asia Times
Key Figures: Dmitry Medvedev, Hugo Chavez
Dmitry Medvedev ran for the presidency of Russia this year as the successor and protégé of former president Vladimir Putin. Though he is the first Russian president in decades not to have any discernable ties to the former Soviet state or the secret police, he has worked closely with Putin for the last 17 years.
Source: BBC
Hugo Chavez’s first foray into national politics came as the leader of a military coup in 1992. Released some years later, Chavez assumed power in Venezuela and has since become a vocal critic of the United States, often finding himself at odds with the Bush administration.
Source: findingDulcinea
Opinion & Analysis: ‘Using Energy for Geopolitical Advantage’
The Heritage Foundation, a traditionally conservative think tank, worries that the increasingly close relationship between Venezuela and Russia could present serious challenges for the West, and specifically the United States, calling their collaboration a “Redistribution of Global Power."
Source: The Heritage Foundation
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