| (WASHINGTON) – U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today called Venezuela’s cooperation with Russia, its military buildup and nuclear plans threats to regional security and stability. Statement of Ros-Lehtinen:
“Iran. Syria. North Korea. Venezuela fits in perfectly with the ‘who’s who’ of the world’s most dangerous regimes on Russia’s client list.
“The most recent reports of $2.2 billion in new arms sales from Russia to Venezuela, including the likely sale of long-range S-300 missiles, plus reported plans for a nuclear energy program between the two nations, create an eerie sense that the history of Iran’s Russia-backed military and nuclear buildup is repeating itself almost identically in Venezuela.
“Chavez is already a close ally and partner of Ahmadinejad. Iran and Venezuela have turned to Russia for help in their conventional weapons and nuclear programs.
“It is time for responsible nations to join together to address the totality of the Venezuelan threat to peace, stability, and freedom in Latin America and beyond. And it is time for Russia to join those efforts instead of contributing to the problem.”
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