Chavez arrives in Russia for arms talks

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday met his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, as part of a visit aimed at purchasing arms and bolstering ties with the Kremlin.

“I watch the rebirth of Russia with great respect and great love,” Chavez, a fierce critic of US President George W. Bush and US foreign policy, said at the beginning of his meeting with Medvedev, who was inaugurated in May.

Chavez’s two-day visit to Russia — a top oil power like Venezuela — is the first leg of a European tour that will take in Belarus, Portugal and Spain.

AFP