CARACAS (AFP) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that he was interested in accepting Russia's offer of help in developing a civilian nuclear power program.

""We certainly are interested in developing nuclear energy, for peaceful ends of course -- for medical purposes and to generate electricity,"" he said.
""Brazil has various nuclear reactors, as does Argentina,"" he added. ""We will have ours as well,"" he said upon his return from a tour in China and Russia.
His remarks followed comments from Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow Thursday that Russia was ""ready to consider the possibility"" of nuclear energy cooperation with Caracas.
Moscow and Caracas have boosted ties in recent weeks following sharp U.S. criticism of Russia's incursion into Georgia, with Moscow dispatching long-range bombers and warships to Venezuela for exercises near U.S. waters.
Russia's energy ministry announced that the two countries also would form a consortium to invest tens of billions of dollars in oil and gas projects in the South American country.
Venezuela is the world's ninth biggest producer of oil, according to 2004 U.S. government figures and is a major supplier to the United States.
Russia is the second biggest oil exporter in the world and controls a quarter of global reserves of natural gas.
Chavez last week also visited France, Cuba and Portugal, but said the Russian leg of his world tour was particularly fruitful, especially his talks with Putin, with whom he said he forged ""a profound friendship.""
""I have to thank Putin for his courage in supporting Venezuela, as well as (Chinese Prime Minister) Hu Jintao, for not yielding to pressure from anyone,"" he said, in an apparent reference to the United States.
Chavez has said recently that he has increased ties with Russia.
""The Russian fleet has already departed ... and should arrive in Venezuela at the end of November for maneuvers to increase our defense capability,"" he said Sunday.
""We are not going to invade anyone, or engage in acts of aggression toward anyone,"" Chavez said.
""But no one should mistake our intention -- we are prepared to do everything necessary to defend Venezuelan sovereignty,"" he said.
Also Chavez made a surprise visit to Cuba on Saturday and wasted little time heading into a closed-door meeting with President Raul Castro and his ailing brother Fidel.
A report on the Web site of the Communist Youth newspaper Juventud Rebelde said Chavez arrived around 8:30 p.m. and was greeted at the airport by the 77-year-old Raul Castro, who succeeded Fidel as president in February.
Chavez then met with both Castro brothers, according to the Internet item, which was posted about a half-hour after his arrival.