Russian Fleet ships dock in Venezuela's La Guaira on peace mission
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It is reported that the visit would last several days.
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Russian crew members attend a welcoming tour in La Guaira, Venezuela, after the Almirante Gorshkov frigate and Akademik Pashin oil tanker of the Russian Navy docked, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP)
Russian ships on a peace mission have arrived in Venezuela as confirmed by Jose Manuel Suarez, the mayor of the Vargas municipality in La Guaira state, to RIA Novosti.
The Russian Northern Fleet, including the frigate Admiral Gorshkov and the supply tanker Akademik Pashin, docked at the port of La Guaira.
"The visit of this Russian frigate and all its personnel carries a message of peace, harmony and protection, because we are the peoples defending our beloved Motherland, and it is for the whole world," Suarez said, adding that both nations are defending a multipolar world "from a geopolitical point of view."
"We (Russia and Venezuela) defend the autonomy of peoples, and moreover, we defend a multipolar world from a geopolitical point of view. This concept is shared by our Russian brothers, our people led by President Nicolas Maduro and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin also joins it," he added.
The Telegram channel of the Russian Embassy in Venezuela revealed that the ships and their crew were greeted by representatives of the high command of the Venezuelan Navy and Russian Ambassador Sergei Melik-Bagdasarov, in addition to Secretary of the Government of the State of La Guaira Alan Daniel Mata.
The Northern Fleet's press service reported that the ship crews would be able to rest and take time to enjoy local sights.
It reported that the visit would last several days, after which the naval group, led by the frigate Admiral Gorshkov, is expected to continue assigned tasks in the Atlantic Ocean, such as displaying the flag and making sure the navy is present in parts of the far-off ocean zone that are crucial to operations.
The naval group is on a long voyage and has already made an official visit to the port of Havana on June 12-17 during which the Russian sailors met with the Cuban Navy command and the governor of the country's capital. They also visited historical and cultural sites.
The Cuban Foreign Ministry confirmed at the time that "a naval detachment from the Russian Federation consisting of four vessels — the frigate GORSHKOV; the nuclear-powered submarine KAZAN; the PASHIN fleet sea tanker and the salvage tug NIKOLAI CHIKER — will pay an official visit to the port of Havana from June 12 to 17, 2024."
Recorrimos hoy el interior de la fragata Almirante Gorshkov y la cubierta del submarino Kazán, navíos de la Armada de Rusia, que cumplen visita oficial en el puerto de #LaHabana.
— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) June 16, 2024
Impresionante y agradable tarde, incluso bajo la persistente lluvia. Bienvenidos, amigos de #Rusia. pic.twitter.com/kvshSRQg8w
The visit comes on the grounds of historical relations between the two countries and strictly complies with international regulations, the statement indicated, affirming that "none of the vessels carries nuclear weapons. Therefore, their stop-over in our country does not represent any threat to the region."
Russia's Defense Ministry said that before entering the Havana port, the fleet "completed an exercise on the use of high-precision missile weapons."
The frigate Admiral Gorshkov and the nuclear-powered submarine Kazan carry modern precision-strike weaponry, including Tsirkon hypersonic missiles, Kalibr cruise missiles, and Oniks anti-ship missiles.
