Chavez: "Venezuela will always stand beside Iran"

M&C

Tehran - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Saturday in Tehran that Venezuela would always stand beside Iran.

'I stress herewith that, under whatever circumstances, we will always stand beside the Iranian nation. History has shown that as long as we stay united, we can remain resistant and defeat imperialism,' Chavez said in a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Calling Ahmadinejad 'my brother', Chavez said that during his visit to Iran, several oil contracts would be signed between Iranian and Venezuelan companies.

Ahmadinejad praised Chavez's 'good and decisive stance' against the US and said that having him in Iran was 'like a meeting between two brothers and comrades.'

'Mr Chavez is very close to Iran due to his revolutionary standpoints and also the two countries of Iran and Venezuela have various common points on regional and global issues,' Ahmadinejad said.

'We therefore consider the progress of Venezuela like our own progress,' the president said. Read more