Shoigu hopes Russia's Aerospace Forces, Navy to continue using Venezuela's airports, seaports
MOSCOW. Dec 6 (Interfax) - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has said he is hoping that the practice of Russian military airplanes' flights to Venezuelan airports will continue and the Russian Navy ships and vessels will still call at the country's seaports.
"Our cooperation is going quite well: we exchange professionals and delegations on a regular basis. We are working quite well in the area of education and in terms of giving our aviation and our fleet the opportunity to land and be provided with maintenance services at Venezuelan airports and seaports. I believe we will continue this practice. Especially since it is beneficial for both Venezuela and Russia," Shoigu said at the meeting with his Venezuelan counterpart Vladimir Padrino Lopez.
Russian servicemen enjoy the opportunity "to obtain the experience of long-range flights, which is so much important for aviation, and can maintain the equipment in a good combat-capable condition," Shoigu said.
The two counterparts have a lot to discuss, including "military and military-technical cooperation and the situation in Venezuela in general," the Russian defense minister said.
Greeting Lopez in Moscow, Shoigu noted that their meeting was organized following yesterday's talks between the two leaders, Vladimir Putin and Nicolas Maduro.
"It is pleasure to see you again. Our meetings become regular. This cannot but please us. The leaders of our countries are surely supporting these [meetings]. And the meeting we are having today has been particularly based on yesterday's meeting [between Putin and Maduro]," Shoigu said.