Venezuela says building up strategic alliance with Russia.

CARACAS, April 14 (Itar-Tass) - Venezuela is building up a strategic
alliance and genuine friendship with Russia, President Hugo Chavez said
Tuesday at an official function dedicated to the anniversary of thwarting
of a state coup attempt, which occurred in April 2002.
Chavez recalled Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's and Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin's visits to his country.
He said he had taken Putin around Caracas and had told him about the
housing problem in the city.
In line with an agreement Putin and he reached later, a Russian
technical delegation arrived in Venezuela Monday to assist the authorities
in organizing the housing construction process.
Russian experts from the delegation dispatched by Moscow City
government and the Venezuelan Housing Construction and Infrastructure
Minister Diosdado Cabello took a helicopter tour of Caracas and Maracai,
Chavez said.
He expressed the Venezuelan government's interest in cooperation with
Russia's construction companies that have accumulated extensive experience
in building apartment blocks.