President Hugo Chávez is paying a working visit on Wednesday to Belarus, the second stopover in his European tour, where he is going to meet with Belarusian leader Alexandr Lukashenko.

Chávez and Lukashenko, who already met in Caracas last December, are to address economic and energy cooperation issues, according to official news agency Belta, reported Efe.

Specifically, Caracas wants Belarus to start producing agriculture machinery in Venezuela in the near future, especially its worldwide renowned tractors.

During Chávez's visit a number of bilateral agreements are expected to be initialed, added Belta.

This will be the third meeting between both rulers in the last two years. In the past, they have strongly criticized the US diplomatic pressure. Washington sees both governments as "strongholds of tyranny."