Russian warships arrive off Venezuela's coast

[November 25, 2008]  LA GUAIRA, Venezuela (AP) -- Russian warships have arrived off Venezuela's coast for naval exercises meant to showcase deepening relations between President Hugo Chavez's government and Moscow.

Two Russian ships appeared on the horizon Tuesday. Venezuelan sailors in the Caribbean port of La Guaira are waiting to greet them.

The deployment of a Russian naval squadron including a destroyer and the nuclear-powered cruiser Peter the Great is the first of its kind in the Caribbean since the Cold War. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev also is visiting Caracas this week.

[Associated Press]

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