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Nicaragua to buy Russian warplanes to fight drug trafficking

Nicaraguan army spokesman said fighter jets would be used only for defense purposes, not for air strikes, as the country was not going to create any military threat for its neighbours in the region

© ITAR-TASS/Dmitry Rogulin

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Russian defense minister to pay first visit to Venezuela

MEXICO CITY, February 11. /TASS/. Nicaragua plans to buy a batch of warplanes, including Russian MiG-29 fighter aircraft, to fight drug trafficking in coastal areas, Nicaraguan army spokesman General Adolfo Zepeda said on Tuesday.

The general said fighter jets would be "used only for defense purposes, not for air strikes," as Nicaragua was not going "to create any military threat for its neighbours in the region".

The International Court of Justice in The Hague passed a decision in 2012, awarding Nicaragua 75,000 square kilometers in the Caribbean that used to be Colombia’s. Now Nicaragua intends to take additional measures in this region to fight drug trafficking.

Nicaraguan military also consider buying additional patrol boats, eying Russia as a possible supplier. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu will visit Nicaragua shortly on a Latin American tour that also includes Venezuela and Cuba.

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Defense Nicaragua

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