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Venezuela will keep buying weapons from Russia, China, Belarus, general says

Venezuela will keep buying weapons from Russia, China and Belarus in the next five years to build up “a sufficient force” to defend its oil reserves from countries like the United States, Operations Command chief Jesus Gonzalez said in an interview last week.

“The enemies of Venezuela are all those who want to set up here. I don't doubt that the United States wants to come to look for oil. We have to be prepared: 'If you want peace, prepare for war,’'' said General Gonzalez, who oversees weapon procurement for the Venezuelan armed forces.

Even with new president-elect Barack Obama, "the end goal and purpose of the United States will be the same: To dominate the world," he said.

“One of the strategies of the United States was to weaken us militarily,” Mr. Gonzalez said. “We knocked on several doors and arrived at Russia and China. Russia is a friend which held out a hand to us.”

Between 2005 and 2007 Russia signed 12 contracts worth more than $4.4 billion to supply arms to Venezuela, including fighter aircraft, helicopters and Kalashnikov assault rifles.

In September, Russia agreed to provide Venezuela with a $1 billion loan so that Caracas could buy TOR-M1 air defense systems, Igla-S portable SAM systems, Il-78 aerial tankers and Il-76 military cargo aircraft.

“We want to be very strong, but in a highly dissuasive direction. So that any country in the world thinks not once but 10 times before coming here,” Mr. Gonzalez said.

Belarus and Venezuela have signed an agreement on cooperation for the establishment of the South American country’s national air defense and electronic warfare systems, as well as an agreement governing the stay of Belarusian military advisors and experts in Venezuela.

Under the former agreement, signed during Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s visit to Venezuela in December 2007, Belarus is to assist Venezuela in creating an integrated national air defense system and a national electronic warfare system on the basis of a conceptual plan to be devised by a Belarusian-Venezuelan commission.

The agreement provides that Venezuela’s organizations shall sign contracts with organizations of Belarus and other states to purchase goods and services necessary for the creation of the systems.
The agreement is for five years and shall be automatically extended unless either party provides at least 12 months’ prior notice of its intent not to renew the agreement. However, the agreement can be terminated at any time by mutual consent.

Pyotr Tsikhanowski, first deputy chief of the Belarusian Armed Forces’ General Staff, said in March 2008 that the integrated national air defense system would be created within six years, and that it would be beneficial to Belarus and “vitally important” for Venezuela. The creation of the system would give an impetus to the development of Belarusian technologies and produce a good economic effect, he said.