Izvestia (Moscow): "Our friend Mr Chavez"
Vladimir Putin visits Venezuela.
Today, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will go on a one-day visit to Venezuela. In Caracas, he will meet with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, take part in signing about a dozen documents and meet with Bolivia's President Evo Morales.
Putin and Chavez, who have not concealed their friendship, first met ten years ago. Since then, the Venezuelan leader has been to Russia eight times. During each of his visits, he invited Putin to come to Venezuela. Vladimir Putin, Russia's current prime minister, finally decided to take Chavez up on his offer.
Putin will stay in the Venezuelan capital less than a day (the flight there and back will take much more time). A source on the Russian government staff said that the Russian-Venezuelan talks will focus on military-technical and energy cooperation.
One of the main results of the talks should be the signing of a package of agreements on cooperation between Russia's National Oil Consortium and Venezuela's state oil and gas corporation Petroleos de Venezuela. The joint company will develop the Junin-6 oil block, with over 52 billion barrels of proven oil reserves. The Russian consortium will be made up of Russia's major oil giants, including Gazprom, Rosneft, LUKoil, TNK-BP and Surgutneftegaz. Investments in the first phase of the project (until 2012) will reach $950 million, and the total cost of the project will reach some $30 billion.
According to the source, a $2.2 billion government loan to Venezuela will be negotiated along with potential cooperation in the automotive sector – the distribution of Russian cars (AvtoVAZ cars and KamAZ trucks) in Venezuela.
During the visit, Putin and Chavez will leave the office for the airport where the Russian prime minister will transfer the last four of 38 Mi-17 helicopters to Venezuela, per a contract signed four year ago. Putin will also present the Be-200ChS amphibian aircraft used for aerial firefighting.
"We think this plane is most effective," the government source explained. "Caracas now is blanketed in a smoky haze, like Moscow was in the early 1970s [during the peat fires in the region – Izvestia], and we think it would be expedient for Venezuela to buy this plane now."
During the final stop on his visit to Caracas, Putin will participate in a ground-breaking ceremony for a Russian Orthodox Church and also meet with Bolivian President Evo Morales. The source says that, when the latter found out about Putin's visit to Caracas, he "wangled a meeting" with him and will specially come to Venezuela to have a word with the Russian prime minister.
"This will be a fleeting but most eventful visit," says the government source.
Alexander Latyshev
