In the course of his Nov. 11 press conference, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was asked about U.S. threats to attack Venezuela, and “has Venezuela approached Russia with a request to provide military assistance? Has Caracas asked Russia to deploy its weapons in Venezuela similar to the way it was done in Belarus?” The question reflects rumors rampant in Western media over recent days.
Lavrov was straightforward: “No, no such requests have been made.” He added: “I believe it is inaccurate to compare our relations with Belarus which is part of the Union State and with which we share synchronized, coordinated, and unified positions on all key international security matters with our relations with the friendly nation of Venezuela which is our strategic and comprehensive partner, to which end we signed a treaty not long ago. However, considering, among other things, the important geographic factor it would be inaccurate to juxtapose our partnership with Venezuela with our Union with the Republic of Belarus.”
Lavrov continued: “The treaty I mentioned is an entirely new instrument. It was signed in May during President Nicolás Maduro’s visit to Moscow to attend the events marking the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The treaty is now in its final ratification phase. It is called the Treaty between the Russian Federation and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on Strategic Partnership and Cooperation and provides for continued collaboration in matters of security, including military-technical cooperation. We stand ready to act fully within the framework of the commitments we and our Venezuelan friends have assumed in this treaty. It has not yet entered into force. Venezuela has completed its ratification procedures, and we have only a few days left to do so as well. Both chambers—the State Duma and the Federation Council—have held hearings to that effect, and the treaty is almost finalized. We will strictly adhere to the obligations it contains.”
