MOSCOW. March 28 (Interfax) - The decision to close the Russian military base in Cuba was a mistake, according to State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee First Deputy Chairman Dmitry Novikov.
"The decision to withdraw our servicemen from two military bases, Lourdes in Cuba and Cam Ranh in Vietnam, was a mistake," Novikov said on Thursday.
"The presence in such strategic regions as Asia Pacific and Latin America is crucial to Russia," Novikov said, adding that it was not an attempt to compete with the United States by the number of military bases abroad.
"This competition is not possible, considering that U.S. investments are incomparable with our defense budget, and, in any case, we don't need it," he said.
"However, it is worth doing in a number of cases in order to maintain our presence in various parts of the world, to realize national interests, and to maintain the system of international law," Novikov said.
"In this case, Venezuela is interested in using this kind of protection from external encroachments," he said.
"I think that if relevant requests, wishes, or applications are received from the Venezuelan administration, Russia can and should give the required assistance, including, if necessary, by deploying its formations and contingents to Venezuela," Novikov said.