(Misleading Title!) Putin Agrees With Mexico To Boost Democracy In Iraq
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Putin Agrees With Mexico To Boost Democracy In Iraq
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Russian President pays first State visit to Mexico and agrees with his counterpart, Vicente Fox, to favour strengthening multilateral mechanisms in world affairs. Both leaders also discussed cooperation on military, trade and financial issues.
Long ago are those days where Bolshevik leaders became fascinated with anti-clerical and anti-American Mexican Revolution. Also in the past are the dramatic events that inspired Eisenstein’s “Viva Mexico”, and Soviet support to the leaders that dare to defy the power of the United States.
Less heroically, President Vladimir Putin is paying the first visit of a Russian leader to Mexico, and has been friendly welcomed by his local counterpart, the former Coca Cola executive Vicente Fox Quesada. Mexico and Russia share similar views on world affairs, and specifically on the situation in Iraq since US invasion of March 2003. Both countries stand for multilateral approach on world affairs and the strengthening of the UN Security Council, as make calls to speed up a democratic transition in Iraq.
However, political and economical ties between Russia and Mexico, as with most of Latin American nations, have not been fully restored since Soviet collapse.
President Vladimir Putin flew to Mexico on Monday to discuss cooperation on military, law enforcement and financial matters with Mexican officials. Fox said last week that his country hopes to expand military cooperation with Russia, including the assembly of some Russian helicopters and importing a mixed civilian-military factory.
The Mexican president said he also hoped to sign an agreement with Putin for a plant that would assemble heavy machinery for the military industry, noting that the factory was intended for Ciudad Sahagun, about 80 kilometers northeast of Mexico City. Mexico, as most of Latin American countries, largely spurned Russian military equipment during the Cold War, but has begun to adopt some Russian armaments, which are less expensive than goods sold by the United States or most European suppliers. Another advantage of Russian equipment is that Russia allows those countries that purchase it to keep on manufacturing Russian armament on their soil. PRAVDA.Ru sources confirmed some time ago that Uruguay has already signed a similar agreement, as Argentina and Chile are also studying them.
In a letter printed on Monday by Mexican press, Putin said he was happy to greet Mexico “on the eve of the first ever official visit to Mexico in the history of our countries”. “I am looking forward to seeing your ancient, wonderful, and attractive country that has a clear future and is developing fast on the basis of democratic values and federal principles. People in Russia have always been very much interested in Mexico, and our countries have long entertained friendship and affection towards each other. I wish you peace, happiness, and a thriving future," the address read.
