Chavez heads to Moscow for energy talks

MOSCOW, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Oil, gas and military equipment are on the agenda for a Moscow visit by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the Kremlin announced.

Chavez is scheduled to stop off in Moscow for a two-day visit starting Thursday. The visit is part of a broader 11-day diplomatic tour.

The Venezuelan president said he would speak with Russian leaders and executives regarding the refining and export of oil. Military cooperation is on the agenda as well, RIA Novosti reports.

Vagit Alekperov, the chief of Russian oil producer LUKoil, said both sides might sign on to an agreement to establish a joint oil venture with Venezuelan partners to develop Latin American reserves during the visit.

Chavez, meanwhile, said he was interested in purchasing tanks from Russia to counter a U.S. military presence in neighboring Colombia.

His energy talks will come on the heels of a deal for his country to supply Iran with around 20,000 barrels of gasoline to Iran each day beginning in October.

The visit to Moscow will be the seventh for Chavez. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in November became the first Russian leader to visit Venezuela in more than 150 years.