Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is visiting Minsk, the capital of Belarus, for talks with President Aleksandr Lukashenko on key international problems and developing two-way trade.

The trip is part of a two-week world tour in which Chavez seeks international support for a non-permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council. From Minsk, he heads to Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin. The South American leader hopes to sign a major arms deal, to include 24 Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets and 30 Russian helicopters.

Chavez will also visit Qatar, Iran, Vietnam and Mali.