Russian foreign minister said there would be no Russian military bases in Latin America, but Moscow was interested in having centers providing technical support to Russian naval ships in the region.

"There will be no bases - we don't need them," Sergei Lavrov said in a Saturday analytical program hosted by Sergei Brilyov, when asked whether Russia would set up military bases in Latin America, Voice of Russia reported.

At the same time, Lavrov said, "Our navy should have the opportunity to range the oceans of the world, which implies the existence of material-technical support centers, where they can tank up, have a rest, and undergo some minor repairs. "

He said Russia would decide on its participation in the Nicaragua's Interoceanic Grand Canal project by June.

"A feasibility study is underway and is expected to be finished in June. I confirmed that our companies and state structures will be ready to study this document to decide on whether it is in Russia, its interest to join the talks, conducted by companies from various states," he said.

The project to lay a canal connecting the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, with an estimated cost of about USD 40 bln, is expected to become a rival to the Panama Canal. Nicaragua authorities expect to begin the construction in late 2014. China's HKND is the main investor in the project.
 

News ID 186624