February 12, 2005
US concern about arms deal with Venezuela surprises Moscow.

(Itar-Tass World Service) - "Moscow is perplexed with the U.S. concern about Russia's possible delivery of Kalashnikov submachine guns to Venezuela, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

'Russia, the same as other states, has the right to develop military-technical cooperation with any countries that are not under sanctions of the UN Security Council or other international limits on armament shipment,' the ministry said. 'Venezuela is not in the state of war or military conflict with any country of Latin America'.

'True, during an official visit to Moscow Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez showed interest in buying a batch of submachine guns for modernizing the national armed forces,' the ministry said. 'It is a matter of the Venezuelan decision to re-equip the armed forces, which have firearms and heavy weapons made in the United States, Germany, Belgium, France and Israel. Yet no one questions the legality of these countries selling armaments and military hardware to Venezuela and any other Latin American country'.

'Regional stability was taken into account in the consideration of this shipment,' the ministry said. 'Claims that Russian submachine guns may get into the hands of terrorists look tendentious and unfounded. There may be similar suspicions about any armaments sold on the international market, including weapons made in the United States'.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that relations between Russia and Venezuela 'do not exceed the framework of international legal norms'. 'Russia is acting in compliance with agreements with Venezuela. There is nothing else to comment on', he said".