CARACAS (Xinhua) -- Venezuela and Russia will hold joint military exercises in mid-November, the first of its kind in the Americas, the Venezuelan military announced on Saturday.

The Venezuelan navy and air force, together with four Russian warships with some 1,000 soldiers aboard, will participate in the exercises scheduled for Nov. 10-14 in the Venezuelan territorial waters, according to a statement from the Venezuelan military.
Since Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez took office, Venezuela has boosted its military cooperation with Russia.
In August, Chavez said his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev planned to send a Russian fleet to visit Venezuela.