Russia has agreed to sell Venezuela 30 Su-30 fighter jets and 30 helicopters in a contract valued at over one billion dollars, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov announced Friday during a visit to a Moscow jet engine facility.
The agreement comes days before Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is scheduled to arrive in Russia as part of an international tour. Two Su-30s had recently flown to Venezuela to take part in a military parade, serving as a showcase for the aircraft's capabilities.
Russia's business press called the contract a historic entry into the South American arms market, noting it also represents a direct challenge to Washington. The United States has prohibited American manufacturers from selling weapons to Venezuela.
Chavez indicated in mid-June that his Moscow visit might also produce an agreement to establish a Kalashnikov rifle factory in Venezuela. The country this month received 30,000 such rifles, the first installment of a 100,000-unit order finalized with Russia last year for 54 million dollars.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in July 2006, in its own words.