Lima - Peruvian officials took advantage of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to Lima this weekend to raise the issue of closer military cooperation.

Vice President Luis Giampietri said Sunday the issue would be further discussed during bilateral discussions scheduled for Monday.

Medvedev is in Peru to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. The Kremlin has also said that it hopes to
use the visit to boost military ties.

Additionally, Peru has indicated that it is interested in buying military satellites from China. Prime Minister Yehude Simon said negotiations on the sale have already begun.

If the deal were to go through, it would make Peru the third South American nation, after Chile and Venezuela, with Chinese military satellites.

Russia has long wanted to beef up its military ties with South America. So far, that has mostly translated to weapons deliveries and joint maneuvers with Venezuela.

But Giampietri said the two nations have already signed agreements concerning repairs of Venezuelan military hardware. Many of its planes, helicopters and tanks are of Soviet design.

Giampetri also said Peru would like to take advantage of the first-ever visit to Peru of a Russian president by boosting economic ties.

According to Russian statistics, the two nations traded goods and services valued only 135 million euros (168.9 million dollars) in the first seven months of this year.