Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY
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A12   WORLD NEWS
                   Wednesday 26 June 2019

            What’s an advanced Russian warship doing in Havana harbor?



            By MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN                                                                                             came before the latest cri-
            ANDREA RODRIGUEZ                                                                                                    sis in Venezuela. Russia also
            VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV                                                                                                 sent  Tu-160s  and  a  missile
            Associated Press                                                                                                    cruiser to visit Venezuela in
            HAVANA  (AP)  —  One  of                                                                                            2008 amid tensions with the
            the Russian navy’s most ad-                                                                                         U.S. after Russia’s brief war
            vanced  warships  entered                                                                                           with Georgia. A pair of Tu-
            Havana’s  harbor  Monday                                                                                            160s also visited Venezuela
            and  docked  at  the  port                                                                                          in 2013.
            used until this month by U.S.                                                                                       ___
            cruise lines. Here are some                                                                                         WHAT  DOES  THE  RUSSIAN
            questions   and    answers                                                                                          PRESENCE     MEAN     FOR
            about  the  Admiral  Gorsh-                                                                                         CUBA?
            kov’s  travels  through  the                                                                                        Russians  were  once  the
            Caribbean.                                                                                                          most  important  group  of
            ___                                                                                                                 foreigners  in  Cuba,  with
            WHAT IS THE ADMIRAL GOR-                                                                                            many  thousands  of  Soviet
            SHKOV?                                                                                                              workers  and  advisers  col-
            The  Admiral  Gorshkov  en-                                                                                         laborating  on  projects  in
            tered service last year. It is                                                                                      fields ranging from agricul-
            one  of  the  Russian  navy’s                                                                                       tural  production  to  military
            most  advanced  warships                                                                                            defense.  That  ended  with
            and  is  armed  with  cruise                                                                                        the fall of the Soviet Union,
            missiles, air defense systems   Russian Navy Admiral Gorshkov frigate arrives at the port of Havana, Cuba, Monday, June 24,   which  saw  the  end  of  the
            and  other  weapons.  The    2019.                                                                                  Soviet  and  Russian  pres-
            frigate is based at the Arc-                                                                       Associated Press  ence and the start of a gru-
            tic port of Severomorsk and  the ships are scheduled to  Russian ships have become  military power close to U.S.  eling  depression  in  Cuba
            is  part  of  Russia’s  Northern  make calls at several Carib-  an occasional presence in  shores,  although  neither  known as the “Special Pe-
            Fleet.  It’s  the  first  ship  in  a  bean ports, without specify-  Havana  over  the  last  de-  Cuba nor Russian have de-  riod.”  That  period  ended
            new class of frigates intend-  ing which. The naval group  cade.  In  2008,  after  a  visit  scribed  them  as  anything  with  the  start  of  Venezue-
            ed to replace aging Soviet-  was greeted with a 21-gun  by  then  Russian  President  other than routine.           lan aid around 2000.
            era  destroyers  to  project  salute  from  Cuban  forces  Dmitry Medvedev, a group  Early during his presidency,  Cuba  also  somewhat  di-
            power  far  away  from  Rus-  stationed  at  the  entrance  of  Russian  ships  entered  Russian   leader   Vladimir  versified  its  economy  by
            sian shores. It is accompa-  to the Bay of Havana. The  Cuban waters in what Cu-       Putin  ordered  the  military  attracting  Latin  American,
            nied by the multifunctional  Gorshkov  responded  with  ban  media  described  as  to  shut  a  Soviet-era  elec-   European and Asian invest-
            logistics  vessel  Elbrus,  the  its  own  salute.  Russia  has  the first such visit since 1991.  tronic  surveillance  outpost  ment,  and  tourism  primar-
            medium  sea  tanker  Kama  not provided details about  Another  group  visited  the  in Cuba and a naval base  ily  from  Canada,  Europe
            and the rescue tug Nikolai  the  purpose  of  its  trip,  but  southern city Cienfuegos in  in Vietnam as he sought to  and  the  U.S.  U.S.  tourism
            Chiker,  the  Russian  navy  the  Kremlin  has  moved  to  2010, reportedly with a car-  warm  ties  with  the  United  surged  in  2015  and  2016
            says.                        bolster  Russia’s  military  ca-  go of wheat. Others visited  States.  Amid  tensions  with  as  the  Obama  administra-
            ___                          pability  amid  tensions  with  in 2013 and in 2014.      the  U.S.,  Russian  military  tion  loosed  restrictions  on
            WHAT IS THE SHIP DOING IN  the  West  following  the  an-  In January 2015, the recon-  officials  talked  about  the  travel  to  Cuba  as  part  of
            THE CARIBBEAN?               nexation of Crimea in 2014.  naissance  and  communi-     possibility  of  reinstating  a  the opening with the com-
            The  navy  says  the  Admiral  The  Russian  armed  forces  cations  ship  Viktor  Leonov  presence  on  Cuba  and  in  munist  government.  That
            Gorshkov  crossed  through  have  received  hundreds  arrived  unannounced  in  Vietnam.  Russian  warships  opening included allowing
            the  Panama  Canal  into  of new warplanes and doz-       Havana  a  day  before  the  and  aircraft  have  periodi-  cruise  ships.  But  the  Trump
            the  Caribbean  Sea  on  or  ens  of  warships  in  recent  start of discussions between  cally  made  forays  into  the  administration  has  been
            around June 18. The naval  years as part of a sweeping  U.S.  and  Cuban  officials  Caribbean.  In  a  show  of  trying  to  cut  off  income
            group  has  covered  a  dis-  military  modernization  pro-  on the reopening of diplo-  power,  a  pair  of  Russian  to  Cuba  and  reduce  the
            tance  of  over  28,000  nau-  gram that allowed Moscow  matic  relations.  The  Viktor  nuclear-capable   Tu-160  number  of  travelers  to  the
            tical  miles  since  leaving  to project power abroad.    Leonov  returned  again  in  strategic  bombers  visited  island. The latest blow was
            Severomorsk  in  February,  ___                           March 2018.                  Venezuela in December in  ending  cruise  ship  travel
            with stops in China, Djibou-  WHAT  MESSAGE  IS  RUSSIA  All of the Russian naval mis-  what  the  Russian  military  to  the  island,  a  measure
            ti,  Sri  Lanka  and  Colom-  SENDING  WITH  THE  ADMI-   sions  to  Cuba  have  been  described  as  a  training  that  went  into  effect  this
            bia,  the  navy  says.  It  says  RAL GORSHKOV?           seen  as  a  projection  of  mission.  The  deployment  month.q


                                                                      Mexico says immigration efforts

                                                                      focused on southern border



                                                                      Associated Press             States,”  López  Obrador  soldiers preventing women
                                                                      MEXICO CITY (AP) — Presi-    said  Tuesday.  Mexico  has  and children from crossing
                                                                      dent Andrés Manuel López  deployed  6,500  National  the Rio Grande to El Paso,
                                                                      Obrador    says   Mexico’s  Guard  members  in  the  Texas  over  the  weekend
                                                                      tightening  of  immigration  southern part of the coun-   stirred outrage in Mexico.
                                                                      controls has focused “more  try, plus another 15,000 sol-  López  Obrador  said  no
                                                                      than anything” on regulat-   diers along its northern bor-  order  had  been  issued
                                                                      ing  entries  at  its  southern  der in a bid to reduce the  for  soldiers  to  detain  mi-

            A migrant walks on a freight train on his way north, in Salto del   border. “We have to avoid  number of migrants travel-  grants attempting to enter
            Agua, Chiapas state, Mexico, Tuesday, June 25, 2019.      a  confrontation  with  the  ing  through  its  territory  to  the  U.S.  and  promised  an
                                                     Associated Press  government  of  the  United  reach  the  U.S.  Images  of  investigation.q
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