Russia looking to boost Bolivia ties

BOLIVIA; Bolivia's plan to purchase five Russian civil defense helicopters is a "first step" in deepening ties between the two countries as Russia looks to expand its role across Latin America, Russia's top diplomat in Bolivia said Tuesday.

Ambassador Leonid Golubev told The Associated Press that he would like to see Russia's ties to Bolivia one day "approach the level" of its growing partnership with Venezuela, which will host the Russian navy for military exercises in the Caribbean later this year.

"We want to show the United States that Latin America is not their backyard," Golubev said. "We also have interests in various spheres, including military ones."

The ambassador expressed "great satisfaction" at the recent rise of Bolivian President Evo Morales and other "socialist-oriented" governments across Latin America.

"This creates a favorable opportunity for us to return to Latin America, to help and to cooperate," he said.

With the exception of its long ties to Cuba, Russia has been largely absent from Latin America since the end of the Cold War.

But in recent years it has deepened ties with Venezuela, whose leftist president, Hugo Chavez, has signed deals for more than US$4.4 billion worth of Russian arms since 2005. Chavez visited Moscow last week to secure another US$1 billion in credit for the purchase of Russian weaponry.

A price has not yet been set for Bolivia's purchase of the five helicopters, Golubev said. Morales has sought the aircraft to improve Bolivia's emergency response to frequent floods across the country's lowland east.

The purchase would be a "first step: Buy the five helicopters and see how things go," Golubev said. "You can't do everything at once." He said Bolivia also inquired about purchasing another two helicopters for its anti-narcotics efforts - traditionally run in cooperation with the United States.

Bolivia expelled U.S. anti-drug programs from the country earlier this year, and the U.S. placed Bolivia on its anti-narcotics blacklist this month, saying it was not fully cooperating in the drug war.

La Paz, AP