PATRIOT PARK /Moscow Region/, August 16. /TASS/. The United States resists the growing influence of China and Russia in South America and in doing so it resorts to methods of pressure and interference in the internal affairs of other countries, Venezuela’s Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez told the 10th Moscow Conference on International Security on Tuesday.
"Creation of a containment belt to prevent the growing influence of China and Russia is part of the US strategy, which is reminiscent of Cold War policies, especially with regard to the South American region and Venezuela. The methods of achieving geopolitical goals are multidirectional and varied," Padrino Lopez said in a statement broadcast from Caracas.
He stressed that the United States, through government coups, military interventions and sanction pressure, was trying to maintain and strengthen its presence in Latin America. Padrino Lopez remarked that Washington's classification of Colombia as the main US ally outside NATO confirmed its intention to build up military influence in the region.