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No Russian military bases to appear in Latin America - Russian FM

"There will be no bases as we don't need them," Sergei Lavrov said

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, May 17 /ITAR-TASS/. Russian military bases will not appear in Latin America but certain stations are likely to provide repair and maintenance there for the Russian naval ships, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a 'Vesti v Subbotu (Saturday News) with Sergei Brilyov' programme on the Rossiya television channel on Saturday as he assessed his tour of Latin American countries - Cuba, Nicaragua, Chile and Peru - from April 29 to May 1.

"There will be no bases as we don't need them," Lavrov said. "Our navy must have an opportunity to plough the World Ocean, and so repair and maintenance stations are needed to host them for fuelling, rest and some minor repairs".

“We are in no rush for putting up similar stations in every country,” he said. “We’ll consider offers and open them in the countries where the terms offered by host governments will be optimal for our sailors.”

In March the information that Russia is planning military bases like U.S. ones in foreign countries leaked the media. Nicaragua, Cuba, Venezuela and Argentina were named as as possible locations.

Russia’s Deputy Defence Minister said that Russia was holding negotiations only on maintenance and repair stations and did not have intentions for a permanent deployment of armed units of the Russian Armed Forces in Latin America.