Chavez Off to Belarus

Leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez paid authoritarian Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko an official visit on Monday, in order to extend solidarity relationship with the chief of state, who also disagrees with United States' policies, the Associated Press reports. This is Chavez's first stop of a larger international tour that would include Iran, Vietnam and Russia.

Upon arriving at Minsk, he was greeted by an honor guard and a military band at the presidential palace, by a man who has been viewed by many European governments, as well as by United States, as representing "the last European dictator".

Apart from sharing similar views with regard to the United States, Lukashenko and Chavez both support the idea that the United States has made a political objective out of overthrowing them. Before starting a round of negotiations with Lukashenko, Chavez stated: "Here, I've got a new friend and together we'll form a team. I thank you, Alexander, for solidarity and we've come here to demonstrate our solidarity".

In reply, Lukashenko called Chavez a "man of extensive knowledge": "You are versed not only in the economy of Venezuela but in the Belarus economy as well, you know military science, the military-industrial complex, and this impresses me very much. Our two nations have a lot in common; we can form a strategic alliance".

According to many political analysts, what Chavez has been doing lately, can be called building a global counterbalance to the United States' domination in international political terms. Beside the admission to MERCOSUR, the South American trade bloc, Venezuela has crafted a trade bloc with Cuba and Bolivia, signed a series of treaties with Iran and even accepted North Korea's missile tests.

He is scheduled to fly to Russia on Tuesday in order to make the last arrangements over a major purchase of weapons, deals which startled the United States and caused growing concerns. Chavez is also set to visit Mali and Qatar, yet he gave up the official visit in North Korea. According to Larry Birns, the director of the Council of Hemispheric Affairs, Venezuela has quite an important agenda to fulfill, in terms of ensuring oil deals, gaining a seat at the United Nations Security Council, among the non-permanent members and improve his country's overall negative image.