Russia forges relationships in the Caribbean

With Russian Backing Secured, Maduro Offers Hand Of Peace To Trump

Fort Russ,

19 January, 2018

CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro invited his American colleague to base relations between Venezuela and the United States on cooperation and mutual respect after successfully securing the full backing of Russia.

Nicolás Maduro invited his American colleague, Donald Trump, to a “frank, direct and face to face” dialogue. This was affirmed in an interview made to the US ruler in an interview with journalist María Elvira Salazar and that was transmitted by the network of television Univision.

“We are in the same hemisphere” and “sooner or later we are forced to speak and understand each other,” said the Venezuelan president.

For Maduro, although there are differences between countries, they could understand the differences between them.

“I wish there was an opportunity for a frank, straightforward and face-to-face dialogue so that you (Trump) see that it is not what your informants say. We are real, we are people with whom we can talk, negotiate and make agreements,” added Maduro.

In his view, Trump inherited “mistakes” in the foreign policy of his predecessor, Barack Obama, which has so far resulted in an “ideologization of US foreign policy against Venezuela.”

Asked if US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would be invited to Venezuela, he replied:”He can come whenever he wants, I would welcome him and extend his hand.”

Maduro defended the idea of ​​focusing on a shared work and cooperation agenda through a relationship of understanding and respect, despite the tense relationship between Caracas and Washington, which deepened after the Venezuelan president was recently sworn in for a new constitutional mandate.

This latest announcement by Maduro comes after high-level meetings between Venezuela and Russia, in which Moscow confirmed its strong support for the legitimate government in Caracas. Although the US continually tries to destabilize the Bolivarian country, especially with its Colombian and Brazilian puppets, Russia’s and China’s deepening relations with Venezuela ensures its survival against US imperialism

RUSSIAN-LATIN ALLIANCE GROWING: Russian Trade With Cuba BOOMING

Fort Russ,

19 January, 2018

MOSCOW, Russia – Trade between Cuba and Russia increased 28.7 percent in the first eleven months of last year compared to the same period in 2017, the Russian Federal Customs Service said.

The two countries exchanged goods worth almost $348 million between January and November 2018. In the same period of 2017, mutual exports between Russia and Cuba were estimated at $270.3 million.

Cuba exported to Russia between January and November 2018, products valued at US $13.3 million, increasing its exports by 4.2%, compared to sales in the same period of 2017, valued at US $12.8 million of dollars.

Russia, on the other hand, increased its exports to Cuba by nearly 30 percent from $257.5 million in January-November 2017 to $334.6 million in the same period in 2018.

Cuba’s share of Russia’s foreign trade remains unchanged at 0.1 percent.

In October last year it was revealed that Russia would lend Cuba more than $50 million for purchases of Russian military equipment, the Russian daily Kommersant reported, citing two sources in the area of ​​technical and military cooperation of the two countries, said at the time.

“Together with this agreement, a set of general economic documents and agreements initiated by Russia’s finance ministry will be signed, but with other values,” a source familiar with the negotiations said last October.

Also announced last October was a mobile data-reception system for Russian Earth observation satellites that will be installed in Cuba before the end of April 2019, according to tender documentation from the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), disclosed on the bidding website.

Roscosmos indicated that the mobile system was created in 2015, having completed state tests. The installation and start of work must be completed by April 30, 2019. It will receive data from Resurs-P, Canopus-B and Canopus-V-IK optical observation spacecraft with infrared camera and then transmit them to Moscow via the Luch geostationary satellite by cryptography.

In addition, Roscosmos plans to install fixed data reception stations in the Russian region of Chukotka and the Russian Progress station in Antarctica next year.

The Resurs-P spacecraft consists of three devices and is capable of capturing images of designated regions with a resolution of 0.7 meters in visible bands and near infrared.