[In an interview earlier this month with Iran's newly launched Press TV, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez commented on a number of issues particularly the South American nation's foreign policy. The following is the text of the interview with the President]
Chavez: Western Media Try To Demonize Iran and Other Muslim Countries
By Amir Mahdi Kazemi - Press TV, Tehran
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Reporter: In his comments on website Globovision, the former Venezuelan ambassador to South Korea, Julio Cesar Pineda criticized you for developing relations with Russia, Belarus and Iran. He has urged you to develop relations with the US and EU. What's your opinion about that?
Chavez: What you are referring to is our dealing with imperialism. Close relations with the West was part of Venezuela's foreign policy before the Revolution. In the past, Venezuela didn't have control over its own foreign policy, its policies were dictated by Washington. We were a US colony. Today we are independent and have developed a completely independent policy, total sovereignty. We regard our relations with Russia, Belarus and Iran as fundamental and important.
Reporter: What kind of impact do you think Venezuela's relations with Iran could have on other independent countries?
Chavez: It is an example for other countries. In this year we have signed 164 cooperation agreements in energy, industry, politics, culture, science, education, health, etc. All these agreements are aimed at solidarity, spirituality and cooperation. In that sense, the results that we get from these relations will have a powerful impact on other countries, for example in Latin America, Middle East, Asia and Africa. Iranian technology and industries are now being used in Venezuela, Venezuelan technicians are trained in Iran and Iranian experts are training them in Venezuela. We were poor people, mostly illiterate. Now we are progressing. The ties with Iran are by far different from relations we had with the capitalists. Our revolutionary economy is at the service of human beings. Right now, Iran and Bolivia are talking over having the same relations with Bolivia. The same happened in the case of Nicaragua. The relations have had powerful moral, political and economic impacts on other countries. The relations between Iran and Venezuela have its impact on the whole world. That's why imperialists are so concerned about that.
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