RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Brazil will not start an arms race with Venezuela even if the latter is to import weapons, said Brazilian Minister of Defense Nelson Jobim on Wednesday.
"If Venezuela is importing weaponry, it is their problem," said Jobim while testifying at the Chamber of Deputies' Foreign Relations and National Defense Committee.
He said the government will promote the military diplomacy in South America, and he is scheduled to visit all the countries on the continent in the first half of 2008.
He told the congressmen that the Brazilian government is working on a strategic plan aimed at boosting the country's defense industry and creating an industrial complex based on the country's own technology.
He said the government's budget for the defense sector will increase from the current 6.5 billion reais (3.64 billion U.S. dollars) to 10 billion reais (5.6 billion dollars) next year.
Earlier this week, Brazilian Senator Jose Sarney launched a debate on a concern over Venezuela's military equipment purchase plans announced by the Venezuelan government.
