MOSCOW. March 6 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia-Venezuela cooperation will continue in military and other spheres, State Duma Defense Committee First Deputy Chairman Sergei Zhigarev told Interfax-AVN on Wednesday.
"Russian military-technical cooperation with Venezuela was not solely based on the preferences of President Hugo Chavez; it derived from the need to build up the country's defense capacity and preparedness of its armed forces. Besides, many contracts are international and must be executed irrespective of the administration," he said.
Comandante Hugo Chavez went down into history as a fearless patriot, a fighter for independent Venezuela and a defender of the poor in the entire Latin America, the parliamentarian said. "I am confident that the course towards independence, continuity of the policy and cooperation with Russia will be voted for at the next presidential elections by his supporters, who constitute the majority of the country's population," he said.
In turn, State Duma Defense Committee Deputy Chairman Franz Klintsevich said, "Caracas would develop relations with Moscow, including military-technical cooperation, even if an opposition candidate wins the presidential election."
"Most of the Russian-Venezuelan contracts will be implemented even if the opposition takes the office. But there is little chance of Chavez's opponents taking power in Venezuela," Klintsevich said.
Russia and Venezuela concluded a number of large arms contacts in the recent years and a substantial number of them was fulfilled, he said. "As the arms delivered to Caracas have the useful life of dozens of years, Russia will be supplying parts, providing after-sale service and modernization," the deputy said.
Russia has supplied 100,000 AK-103 Kalashnikov submachine guns of the new modification to Venezuela. Two plants are under construction for licensed assembly of Russian submachine guns and shells. Venezuela has been supplied with 24 Sukhoi Su-30MK2 multirole fighters and about 50 helicopters: 34 Mil Mi-17V-5, ten Mil Mi -35М and three Mil Mi-26Т.
Rosoboronexport values arms contracts signed with Venezuela in recent years at $11 billion.
"A part of the contracts with Venezuela have been fulfilled, and some are being executed. The volumes are very large. Contracts over the past four years nearly total $11 billion," Rosoboronexport regional department head Sergei Ladygin told Interfax-AVN earlier.
He explained massive procurement of Russian armaments by Venezuela with the need for modernization of the armed forces. Venezuela had outdated firearms, armor and artillery, weak air defense and a significant shortage of parts for U.S. planes at the moment it concluded contracts with Russia. The situation required the modernization decision of the Venezuelan political administration and military command.
According to the foreign media, Caracas buys from Moscow T-72V1 tanks, 9К58 "Smerch" rocket launchers, Mil Mi-28NE "Night Hunter" helicopters, Buk-M1-2 and S-300 VM "Antei-2500" air defense systems, BMP-3M combat infantry vehicles and BTR-80A armored personnel carriers, 2S19 "Msta-S" self-propelled howitzers, 152-millimeter BM-21 "Grad" rocket launchers, Nona-SVK self-propelled mortars, Ural-4320 and Ural-3206 military trucks and some other products.