i dunno...a connection here perhaps?

C'mon dudes, help me out. You see a common thread anywhere?

Venezuela, Russia Sign Joint Venture to Develop Junin 6 Block
Sept. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Venezuelan state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA and the Consorcio Nacional Petrolero SRL, a joint venture of five Russian oil companies, signed an agreement to develop the Junin 6 heavy crude block, the state oil company said in a statement on yada yada continues here

Venezuela gets $2.2B in credit for Russian arms
CARACAS, Venezuela — Russia has opened a $2.2 billion line of credit for Venezuela to purchase weapons including armored vehicles and surface-to-air missiles, President Hugo Chavez said Sunday yada yada continues here

Bolivia to buy presidential plane from Russia
LA PAZ, Bolivia — President Evo Morales says Bolivia has decided to buy a presidential plane from Russia after Moscow offered to set up an aircraft maintenance center in the South American nation yada yada continues here

U.S Approves Colombia Aid Despite Rights Concerns
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Reports of extrajudicial killings and domestic wiretapping in Colombia are troubling, but Bogota has made enough progress on human rights to receive the remainder of its 2009 U.S. military aid, the U.S. State Department said yada yada continues here

Tales from the Axis of Evo

"Big plane?"
"Da. Very big plane."

On an interest scale, this one rates a solid 9/10 Chez Otto. Direct translation from this America Economia report:

President Evo Morales stated that the Russian government has offered to install a maintenance centre in Bolivia to repair Russian planes that fly in South America.

The President said, during an official ceremony in Chimoré, Bolivia, that the Russian government via its Bolivian ambassador has offered to sell Bolivia an Antonov plane for Presidential use.

"My worry was that if we bought it and there were any mechanical problem it would have to go to Russia for maintenance. The ambassador told me, by recommendation from Russian President Dmitri Medvédev, that they should install in Bolivia a maintenance centre for all Russian planes that fly in South America", Morales said.

According to a report published in the newspaper 'Opinión', Morales added that the Russian government offers to "unconditionally" invest U$5m to create the maintenance plant that may be built in Chimoré at the President's wishes.

The government of Bolivia will ask for a loan from Russia, possibly for U$100m, to finance to purchase of arms and the new Presidential jet that would cost U$30m and be delivered in 2011.

Also, the Bolivian President confirmed the government's intention to construct an international airport with a view to boosting tourism and improving commerce for the Chimoré zone with the rest of the country.

Revolutionary Rubles

The funniest thing is that North America is still under the impression that LatAm owes it a great favour and that we humble souls down here just can't get anything done without their magnificent presence. Why do I get the feeling that Rusoro won't need to go through the Canadian rip-off brokerages to get its next round of financing....?

Hat tip reader 'TL'

Russia and Venezuela signed a deal Tuesday to set up a new bank with starting capital of four billion dollars (2.9 billion euros) to fund joint projects as Moscow ramps up its role in South America.

The agreement was signed at Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's residence near Moscow by the deputy finance ministers of the two countries.

"We are moving to a high level of political and economic co-operation," Putin said as he greeted Venezuela's Vice President Ramon Carrizalez, who told Putin there was now a "strategic" partnership between yada yada continues here

Do what with tourism???????

This one isn't really LatAm, but it is Spanish language, it is politics and it's definitely stuff like that. Spanish PM Zapatero (he of the crummy suits) was speaking at a press conference today after meeting Russian President Medvedev. The issue in question was bilateral tourism and Zapatero said

"We have made an agreement to stimulate, to benefit, to f**k, to help this tourism."

Don't believe me? Ok, here's the Youtube.

The exact words are (in the last 10 seconds of this 27 second video):

"Hemos hecho un acuerdo para estimular, para favorecer, para follar para apoyar ese turismo."

For those who suffer under the Castilian challenge, the offending word is "follar" (pron: fo' yar). Sure it's a blooper, but it's a damn good one. Just a pity the new US Prez is such a good speaker. Will we begin to miss those dubyaisms after a while?

Thanks for the headsup, UL.

It's 21st Century Kapitalism, Komяade

News out of Яussia is that Яussian PM and Abba fan, Vladimir Putin, has just given the final go-ahead-all-clear-let's-do-this-crazy-thing-one-time to the Bilateral private bank to be set up by his motherland and a place called Venezuela, which is in Latin America somewhere so they tell me.

The bank is to be a private enterprise with its HQ in Moscow and a branch in Caracas. It will be jointly funded and aims to offer capital to corporate projects in the hydrocarbons, electricity, mining, metallurgy, infrastructure, mechanics and petrochemicals sectors, according to the official stuff from Яussian infoagents Novosti today.

I'm sorry, did that say "mining"? Now how on earth might Яussia invest in the Venezuelan mining industry? What opportunities are there in the sector right now? Hmmm....can't think of a single one......any ideas spring to mind, Mr. Salamis?

Finally, if you think banking in CommieHeaven Hugolandia is a dumb deal to get into check out this report today about how Venezuela's second largest bank, Mercantil, raised profits by 22.5% in 2008, which sure beats the heel out of WaMu's performance this year. And the US still tries to tell us down here how to run our economies........

The Russians Aren't Coming

They're already here.

It would be easy enough for the USA to demonize Russian President Medvedev's state visit to Venezuela, handily coinciding with the arrival of the battlecruiser Peter the Great for naval maneuvers with the Venezuelan navy this week (as featured on Venezuelan State TV every seven minutes or so) if it weren't for the thorny detail that Medvedev has also packed in official state visits to Peru and Brazil before arriving in Caracas.

Y'see, this is one of the most obvious consequences of the neglect and arrogance the USA has shown to South America in the Bush years; it's not that much different to the way kids act in the school playground with the law of "if you treat me badly I'm not going to be your friend anymore I'm going to find me another friend so there" applying....only a couple of steps more sophisticated.

It may be tough to swallow for many, but the Monroe Doctrine died out years ago and the attempts to try and resurrect the lord-it-over-em 'our backyard' attitude now meets with the well deserved middle finger of LatAm. So while the USA "watches with concern" as the influence of Russia grows in the region, remember that before effects come causes.

Bolivia, cocaine, the USA, trade deals and dem pesky russkies

Last week President Dubya made a special point of emphasizing just how naughty Bolivia was because it wasn't cooperating with the USA's idea of cocaine eradication (y'know, the one that has thrown over U$6.7 Billion at Colombia in the last seven years with the net result of 50% more cocaine production in that country). Luckily, this has nothing to do with Colombia being special friends or Bolivia being horrid yankee-haters and we certainly know this because Condi Rice told us today. In her presser on the subject she said "The United States does not set ideological examinations", so we can all rest easy on that score, folks. I mean....since when did this admin ever lie to us?

But Condi's speech today was marked by a distinct softening of tone towards Bolivia. Instead of taking her boss's No Soup For You attitude, Condi said things like "it would be unfortunate to have to separate Bolivia from the preferential trade agreement" and that "we remain willing to work with the Bolivian government", which is a far, far cry from Dubya's " Sadly, I have proposed to suspend Bolivia's trade preferences until it fulfills its obligations" of just one week ago.

Why the apparent change in protocol-tongue, people? Well Otto thinks it has a lot...I mean a LOT to do with this report filed by ABI today. Here's the full Ottotranslation in English:

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La Paz 23 Oct (ABI).- The Russian ambassador in Bolivia, Leonid Golulev, this Thursday offered the support of his country to collaborate in the fight against nacrotrafficking being undertaken by the government of Evo Morales.

"We are going to cooperate with what Bolivia requires in the fight against narcotrafficking because equal with Bolivia, Russia is a victim of this evil" he told the press at the gates of the Presidential Palace after meeting with the head of state.

He also stated that a delegation led by the Vice-Minister of Social Defence, Felipe Cáceres, will travel to Russia to finalize the bilateral agreement in the fight against narcotrafficking.

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Interesting stuff, no? To round off, Bolivia also announced today that its own coca eradication program was going very well and that its goverment had rid Bolivia of 4,613 hectares of its 2008 target of 5,000 hectares; nicely on course, in other words. What? Didn't your gov't tell you about Bolivia's own initiatives? How forgetful of them.............

Blackjack! Venezuela gets a visit from some pretty birdies

Sleek and sexy (and that's just the pilot, Komrade)

The Russians are coming!

(oh...they're already here)

Why have two Russian TU-160 "blackjack" bombers just landed in Venezuela? Here are the choices in today's multiple choice special...YOU BE THE JUDGE!

1) Military manoeuvers in Venezuela.

2) About to bomb the crap outta Las Cristinas if Fung doesn't stop messing around.

3) Invasion of Colombia about to happen.

4) Got lost on their way to Georgia.

5) Chávez went for the buy-one-get-one-free special offer that Putin dangled in front of him.

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2 Russian strategic bombers land in Venezuela

MOSCOW - Two Russian strategic bombers landed in Venezuela on Wednesday as part of military maneuvers, the government said, announcing an unprecendented deployment to the territory of a new ally at a time of increasingly tense relations with the U.S.

Russia's Defense Ministry said the two Tu-160 bombers flew to Venezuela on a training mission. It said in a statement carried by the Russian news wires that the planes will conduct training flights over neutral waters over the next few days before heading back to Russia.

Also Wednesday, NATO said it ended a routine exercise by four naval ships in the Black Sea. Russia had denounced the exercise as part of a Western military buildup sparked by the Georgia conflict.

The alliance said the four ships — U.S. frigate USS Taylor and three similar vessels from Spain, Germany and Poland — were moving back to the Mediterranean Sea after the 18-day mission.

In Moscow, Defense Ministry spokesman Alexander Drobyshevsky refused to say how long the Venezuela deployment will last or say whether the planes carried any weapons.

The military said NATO fighters escorted the two Russian bombers on their way to Venezuela.

The apparently retaliatory move follows the U.S. deployment of warships to deliver aid to the former Soviet nation of Georgia, barely a month after Russian armor and aircraft crushed the Georgian military in a five-day war.

Earlier this week, Russia said it will send a naval squadron and long-range patrol planes to Venezuela in November for a joint military exercise in the Caribbean.

The deployment of planes will be certain to anger Washington. Relations between the U.S. and Russia have been badly strained by the short war last month between Russia and U.S.-allied Georgia.