MOSCOW, July 23 (RIA Novosti) - The official visit of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to Russia on July 24-27 should provide an additional boost to bilateral relations, the Foreign Ministry said Saturday.

"The upcoming visit of Hugo Chavez should give an extra boost to friendly relations and constructive cooperation between our countries," ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said.

During his visit, Chavez will hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov, and trade and industry officials, the spokesman said.

The South American leader will also travel to the southern city of Volograd, and Izhevsk in the eastern part of European Russia, where he will meet local leaders and discuss possibilities for inter-regional cooperation with Venezuelan states; he will also visit factories and cultural sites.

Chavez said earlier that Venezuela was interested in military and technical cooperation with Russia.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Friday that Russia had signed a contract on supplies of military planes and helicopters to Venezuela worth over $1 billion.

Venezuelan radio reported that bilateral trade stood at $60 million in 2003 and had grown by 400% in the years since, not including military and technical contracts.