Venezuela and Russia Meet

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http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7B57587E4E-8385-45E9-A6C1-A41E7DD100A9%7D&language=EN

Caracas, Mar 21 (Prensa Latina) Venezuela and Russia are holding Monday in this capital the 3rd bilateral meeting of foreign deputy ministers, aimed at stepping up bilateral trade and economic and political cooperation.

The gathering will be headed by Venezuela´s Foreign Deputy Minister Delcy Rodriguez and her Russian counterpart Serguei Kislyak.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Russia´s Vladimir Putin signed a Joint Declaration in 2001, supporting the guidelines of the bilateral policy, whose aim was to multiply the current trade exchange amount of $40 million per year.

Chavez´s visit to Russia in November 2004, negotiations in the oil industry and other possibilities in tourism, mining and the automobile making are some of the current development links.

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[shadowknows69]

1. the pieces on the chessboard

are starting to close in on the king

[bemildred]

2. Russia defends arms sales to Venezuela

CARACAS, March 21 (Xinhuanet) -- Russia will keep its military cooperation with Venezuela to attend to the needs of the country, visiting Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Serguei Kislyak said hereMonday.

"The cooperation with Venezuela in the military sector only responds to the needs of the country, that is why it does not have a destabilizing character," Kislyak said after a meeting with Venezuelan Vice President Jose Rangel.

"We appreciate our Venezuelan friends as our very important partners of the continent and we're going to develop our cooperation," he added.

The Russian deputy minister also announced that in late 2005, a Russian commission will travel to Venezuela to develop new contacts and expand the spheres of cooperation.

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