Venezuela’s international ties strengthened by Chávez world tour

In his two-week worldwide trip, Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez visited Tehran, Iran, this week, where he expressed Venezuela’s solidarity with Iran in its struggle to develop nuclear energy. He stated, “Venezuela will stand by Iran at any time and under any condition.”

Chávez’s tour, which has also included stops in Qatar, Belarus and Russia, is helping to strengthen Venezuela’s

Hugo Chávez meets with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran.

alliances and its own defense preparations. This week, Russia has agreed to sell 24 Su-30 fighter jets and 53 military helicopters to Venezuela.

In Moscow, Chávez said, “We would like to thank you for freeing us from a blockade.” He continued, “We were almost disarmed,” referring to the U.S. government ban on arms sales to Venezuela imposed last May. Chávez has proposed to Russia that it build a Kalashnikov production plant in Venezuela.

In turn, he says, those weapons could be supplied to Bolivia, which is also threatened with a U.S. weapons ban. “We could supply Bolivia…and other friendly countries that also require a minimal level of defense.” Chávez made this statement in Qatar.

In their Moscow meeting on July 27, Russian president Vladimir Putin expressed Russia’s support for Venezuela’s bid in the United Nations Security Council: “We welcome Venezuela’s aspirations to become a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. I am confident that your visit will act as a good, new powerful incentive toward the development of our mutual relations.”

Chávez’s worldwide tour is part of the Bolivarian revolution’s strategy of deepening economic and political alliances to most effectively resist U.S. imperialism. Similar to Cuba’s international outlook, Venezuela’s perspective is not just for its own interests but based on building mutual solidarity.

With the U.N. Security Council’s looming deadline against Iran’s determination to develop nuclear energy now extended to late August, the importance of Chávez’s visit to Tehran is not lost on the Iranian leadership. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said, “Chávez is a source of a progressive and revolutionary current in South America and his stance in restricting imperialism is tangible.”

Chávez’s two-week world tour will also include Vietnam, Mali, Brazil and Argentina.