Russia/Latin America

Medvedev wraps up Latin America tour with energy, trade deals

Article published on the 2008-11-28 Latest update 2008-11-28 13:03 TU

Medvedev (L) and Castro in Havana, 27 November 2008
(Photo: Reuters)

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was in Cuba Friday on the last leg of a visit to Latin America that also took him also to Peru, Brazil and Venezuela. There were no agreements scheduled to be signed in the two rounds of official talks between Medvedev and President Raul Castro, though the two countries cooperate on oil, nickel and telecommunications projects.

"Russia has already returned to Latin America, including Cuba," said Medvedev on Friday.

His visit is the latest in a series of moves to repair relations between the former Cold War allies. This is only the second visit of a Russian president to Cuba since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Medvedev’s four-nation tour of Latin America is officially to strengthen economic and strategic ties.

Russia sees Latin America as a "centre of economic growth," said Russian Foreign Minister Serguei Lavrov on Thursday in Quito, Ecuador.

Analysts see Medvedev’s visit to the region as a show of force, particularly in the face of the United States.

“I think the main message from this Latin American tour by the president is that Russia is back in play as an international power after what they regard as the humiliating situation following the collapse of communism in the 1990s,” Colin Harding of the Oxford Analytica thinktank told RFI.

Harding said the message is 'If you are going to be meddling around in places like Poland and Czech Republic and Georgia, well, we’re entitled as a world power – as a developing world power – to nose around in the area that has traditionally been dominated by Washington."

Medvedev maintained that the aim of the visit was nothing more than to strengthen cooperation.

"This is humanitarian, economic, energy and defence cooperation,” he said. “This cannot be aimed against third countries.”

He also said Russia is not afraid of competition from other countries active in the region, like China and the US.

"Our projects do not mean we are progressing in parallel with China and the United States in all issues,” he said. “We have to prove that some of our projects are better.”

On Wednesday Medvedev inaugurated a week of joint navy manoeuvres between Russia and Venezuela.

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez said the manoeuvres were not a provocation, but an exchange between "two free, sovereign countries that are getting closer."

Medvedev and Chavez signed a string of deals, including a project to build a joint electricity-generating nuclear reactor.

“Chavez particularly is very keen on having a nuclear capability,” said Harding. “This is all part of the construction of the multi-polar world that is taking the place of former US dominance, and I think having a nuclear capability supported by Russia is very much part of the world view that Chavez has.”

The two countries did not sign any new arms deals, though Medvedev defended his country’s growing arms sales to Venezuela.