Shoigu’s Strategic Latin American Voyage: Russia Stands Behind Its Friends

General Shoigu with President Ortega in Nicaragua

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President Castro with Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias

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Cuban Navy cadets in the Russian church in Havana during the last Easter season

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Defence Minister S K Shoigu just ended a tour of Latin America, which in less than one week took him to three countries… Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba. Everywhere he enjoyed special military honours and welcomes at the highest state level. In Caracas, President Nicolás Maduro Moros received him, in Managua, President José Daniel Ortega Saavedra greeted him, and in Havana, the head of state Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz feted him. He received Venezuela’s Order of National Security Merit and Nicaragua’s Grand Cross. Shoigu’s meetings with the three Latin American national leaders didn’t look like pure protocol events at all. Discussions were friendly, fundamental, and specific and encompassed a range of aspects of world politics. In part, they discussed the events in the Ukraine. Maduro, Ortega, and Castro fully supported Russia’s stance regarding the situation there. In addition, they touched upon Caribbean problems, in particular, bilateral relations in the political and in the military and military-technical spheres.

Russia was and still is the largest provider of weapons and military hardware for the countries Shoigu visited. To Venezuela alone, Moscow provided at least 11 billion USD (682.5 billion Roubles. 68.8 billion Renminbi. 683.6 billion INR. 13.76 billion CAD. 14.14 billion AUD. 9.68 billion Euros. 7.13 billion UK Pounds) worth of armaments over the past few years. Alongside India, China, and Algeria, it’s one of the best customers of Russian aircraft, tanks, APCs, artillery, and air defence systems. The equipment parks of the Nicaraguan and Cuban forces are entirely Russian. True, their equipment isn’t as new as Caracas’s is. Local industries managed to somehow upgrade much of that equipment, but all of their weapons need urgent replacement, or supplies of spare parts and components, or fundamental upgrade, which might prove the most sensible solution of all. The Minoborony delegation included the chief of the military-technical coöperation service, Aleksandr Fomin, whose staff, along with specialists from Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport, apparently have relevant plans and arrangements.

Last year, Nicaragua created with Russian assistance a centre named after Soviet Marshal G K Zhukov for training army specialists. Near Managua, Moscow helped build an industrial facility for disposing of expired ammunition, which is already operational. During the just-ended visit, Shoigu attended a “ribbon-cutting” at a new topographical centre where Russian specialists provided and assembled the equipment. He proposed to Nicaraguan President Ortega that Nicaragua send teenagers to train at Russian army and naval cadet schools. Some Nicaraguans are already at Russian officer schools and academies, so, why not start instruction from a younger age? In that case, trainees would first learn Russian, then, receive elementary military education, to eventually enable them to take courses at higher military institutions, to fit them to become fully qualified commanders for the Nicaraguan forces. Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov said that he made such proposals not only in Managua, but also in Caracas and Havana.

Shoigu’s overseas voyage had a pretty clear strategic message… Russia’s geopolitical rival must remember that Moscow has its own interests in a part of the world that the Americans recently considered as their backyard, and it possesses the ability to demonstrate and protect these interests. Naturally, the USA is unlikely to be very happy about that, but Moscow, and possibly, Havana, Managua, and Caracas have long stopped paying much attention to comments that may follow from the US State Department.

18 February 2015

Viktor Litovkin

ITAR-TASS

http://tass.ru/en/opinions/778405

Editor:

The Church says, “Socialism is good! The Cuban Healthcare system rocks!” So does the Russian state. The REAL Church has nothing to do with Moonies, Mormons, Pentecostalists, or Teabaggers (those who do are at variance with HH, who believes crapitalism to be a fraud)… the pictures tell a story. ¡El socialismo es bueno!

A waggish friend of mine at the Centre wrote me, “I know why General Shoigu went to Managua! In Moscow, it’s -25 (-13 Fahrenheit)! In Managua, it’s +25 (77 Fahrenheit)!”

BMD

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Shoigu Hails Russo-Cuban Military Relations… Gives De Facto Guarantee to Havana Against American Aggression

Shoigu in Nicaragua 

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On Saturday, Defence Minister S K Shoigu said during a meeting with Cuban President Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz, “Our relations in the military sphere are developing constructively. We’re interested in expanding coöperation in the naval sphere”. Shoigu thanked Cuba for its reception of VMF RF ships during a port call in Havana. He also invited Cuban delegations to take part in this year’s tank biathlon international competitions, international war games, the 4th International Security Conference, and the international scientific and technical forum Army 2015. President Castro replied that Cuban delegations would take part in these events.

Shoigu said that Russian and Cuban approaches on global and regional security issues “fully coincide”, saying, “Our countries are bound by common interest in forming a just and polycentric world order based on equality, adherence to international law and respect for it, with a central role for the UN”. Shoigu said that his visit to Cuba came when the two countries are strengthening their bilateral ties, noting, “Your country is our long-time friend and a symbol of love of freedom and independence in Latin America. Cuba, which survived a blockade for over half a century, continues to firmly and consistently follow the track of defending its national sovereignty and implementing its development model”.

Shoigu observed that the traditionally good relations between Russia and Cuba are reviving, as seen in the visit of President V V Putin to Havana in July 2014, which gave an impetus to strengthening bilateral ties, saying, “Our priority is to implement agreements reached during high-level meetings”. He went on to point up that the long traditions of friendship between the people of Russia and Cuba are a “firm basis for expanding bilateral coöperation and coordinating efforts on the international arena”. This concludes Shoigu’s trip to South America, during which he also visited Venezuela and Nicaragua.

15 February 2015

ITAR-TASS

http://tass.ru/en/russia/777626

Editor:

The USA could’ve reached out to Cuba in the 1990s… but the GOP chose to kiss the asses of Cuban-American fanatics in Miami. Now, Russia is back on the upswing again… the moment’s lost irretrievably. The USA will pay dearly for pandering to these émigré blockheads.

BMD

Matviyenko Sez Cuba and Russia Ties on the Upswing

THIS is what HH thinks of El Comandante… any questions? He’s certainly not buying the lying rightwing twaddle that Potapov and Paffhausesn are peddling…

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During her official visit to Cuba, Valentina Matviyenko, chairman of the RF Federation Council, met with Cuban President Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz and Juan Esteban Lazo Hernández, the President of the Cuban National Assembly of the People’s Power, and said that relations between Russia and Cuba are having a renaissance. Matviyenko praised the expansion of bilateral partnership, trade, economic, scientific, and humanitarian cooperation between the countries. She told reporters on the flight back to Moscow, “Our delegation came to Havana to upgrade and boost parliamentary cooperation between our two countries. We discussed a number of issues during a two-hour talk, including Fidel Castro’s health. The Comandante is feeling OK; he’s following a strict régime under tight medical supervision”.

Matviyenko also said that apart from being an important strategic partner, Cuba’s also a good and reliable friend, noting, “Our countries have special bonds of fraternity and mutual respect; Russia has very warm and sincere feelings for Cubans. We love our Cuban friends and are ready for cooperation. Havana and Moscow became close allies under Fidel Castro… 2013 marks 50 years since his first visit to the USSR… Moscow and some other Russian cities noted the event. Now, bilateral cooperation is on the rise, mainly focused on trade and economy. Although last year’s trade turnover accounted for only some 220 million dollars (6.93 billion Roubles. 172 million Euros. 145 million UK Pounds), there’s a great potential for expansion”.

The streets of Havana have many signs of long-lasting friendship, such as Soviet-made cars. Despite Cuba’s turn to foreign investors, the USA doesn’t want to lift its sanctions, so, Havana eyes working with Russia. Lazo, the president of the Cuban National Assembly of the People’s Power, spoke about the prospects of bilateral energy cooperation, thinking that Russia could help in constructing new units and supplying equipment for Cuban power plants built with Soviet aid. Havana also expects Moscow’s help in exploring oil in its Gulf of Mexico wells and further construction of refineries. Russian investment in Cuba’s oil sector is important; at present, only Zarubezhneft does so, but other Russian companies shall also join in. Cuba also eyes cooperation with Russia in nickel production, tourism, and agriculture as well as seeking help to refurbish and upgrade the Mariel and Santa Cruz del Norte power plants.

Russia and Cuba are long-term partners. For instance, Cubana de Aviación uses Russian Tupolev Tu-204 planes. Cuba has imported some worth 12 million USD (378 million Roubles. 9.4 million Euros. 7.9 million UK Pounds) worth of power plant equipment from Russia in the last three years and has recently resumed purchase of Russian tractors. Russian tourists are also contributing to Cuba’s economic revival… some 90,000 holidaymakers from Russia visited the Island of Freedom last year.

19 May 2013

Aleksei Lyakhov

Lada Korotun

Voice of Russia World Service

http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_05_19/Russia-Cuba-ties-are-seeing-renaissance-official/

 

12 May 2013. A Word on Certain Loud Republican Circles Amongst Us

Birds of a feather flock together… and they’re GOOD birds, not shitbirds.

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I say the following… so, don’t instigate a witch-hunt of those who hate the immoral and pernicious pabulum dispensed by the Republican Party. It’s time for Christ’s Church to disassociate itself publicly from the American Religious Right, the US Republican Party, and the so-called Pro-Life Movement (one can oppose abortion, yet, oppose this rightwing construct). After all, HH is/was friends with Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz, Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz, Gennady Zyuganov, Pyotr Simonenko, and Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías. Birds of a feather flock together! HH doesn’t associate with godless laissez-faire liberals such as Wet Willy Romney, Paul Ryan, the American Enterprise Institute, or Mikhail Prokhorov… he doesn’t hang around braying libertarian shitbirds.

The MP is well-aware of the vitriolic Whites (“nobility”) that dominate some parts of the ROCOR. Such people got the boot in Russia, but their Western sugar daddies protect them here in the diaspora (yet, such sorts caterwaul about their “traditional” stance and love of Russia). The MP is “fed up” (as one put it) with the boorish anti-Soviet rhetoric found in certain ROCOR circles. Of course, it respects valid criticism, but the slurs, defamation, and hatred deployed by well-known parties isn’t welcome, needed, or truthful (especially, as some of the loudest Whites are on the US government payroll). They’re tired of the Whites strutting about and bad-mouthing the USSR. After all, the USSR WAS Russia.

At present, loud Republicans have appointed themselves “commissars” of opinion in our Church. It’s time to oppose them! They’re not telling the truth. Christ’s Church doesn’t stand for raping the working folk to benefit the Affluent Effluent, and that’s that. HH believes that the “Free Market” is a fraud, and has said so explicitly. That tells you much about the ROCOR loudmouths in the District, doesn’t it? Do note that the Centre won’t take in James Paffhausen… by the way, it hasn’t been for the lack of trying on the part of the Republican faction in the ROCOR. Sanity still reigns at the Centre. We should get with the programme… but shall we? Time will tell us…

BMD