Chavez: Venezuela
Is A Major Player In
Multi-Polar World
Caracas - Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez on Sunday described
his country as an energy giant to be
reckoned with in the world.
Chavez, fresh from an 11-day trip to Africa,
Asia and Europe, made the remark during his
routine "Alo, Presidente" TV/radio program
aired on Sunday.
"We are known as an energy giant playing
with audacity," said the president.
"Certainly there is a clearer vision now in
the world, where sovereign Venezuela is to
have its presence helping to move the forces
around."
Chavez's trip to Libya, Algeria, Syria,
Iran, Turkmenistan, Belarus, Russia and
Spain netted the resource-rich country
energy deals worth billions of U.S. dollars.
Venezuela and Russia signed an energy deal
on jointly producing450,000 barrels of extra
heavy oil from Venezuela's Orinoco Oil
Strip.
The two countries also agreed on a
technology transfer to help Venezuela
produce liquefied natural gas which will be
used by high-traction motor vehicles in
places of low resources.
Venezuela signed with Iran an energy deal
worth 760 million dollars to extract natural
gas from the Persian Gulf.
Chavez told the public that he had also
signed contracts to purchase military
equipment from Russia.
"We do not have anything to hide and nobody
takes this as an aggression," said Chavez.
"We have many (oil and natural gas) reserves
to justify an invasion."
Venezuela is to get 92 T-72S tanks, and an
S-300 Antey-2500 anti-air defense system
including radars and Smerch surface-to-air
missiles with a shooting range of 90
kilometers, the president said
Since 2006, Venezuela has bought some 4.4
billion dollars worth of Russian military
equipment.
Apart from the energy and military equipment
deals, Chavez also disclosed that his
country would form an Iran-Venezuela bank
with a joint financing of 200 million
dollars.
"We are creating a complementary
architecture of finance for the multi-polar
world," said the president, adding that his
country is achieving its fundamental goals
on both domestic and overseas fronts.
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
