Special to WorldTribune.com

MOSCOW — Russia has reported losing key military clients in the
Middle East.

A senior official said the Kremlin was watching its defense share in the
Middle East market decline. The official cited the slowdown in such
countries as Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Libya and Syria, for decades major arms
clients of Moscow.

“This is connected to conflicts and wars,” Alexander Fomin, director of
Russia’s Federal Military-Technical Cooperation Service, said.

In an interview with the Russian news agency RIA-Novosti, Fomin cited the decline of a series of military clients over the last three years. He said Russia was seeking to replace these countries with those outside the Middle East.

“Cooperation with Libya has stopped temporarily, and there’s a slump in deliveries to Egypt and Iran,” Fomin said on Feb. 4. “Our work with Syria is being impeded. That’s a fact. We’ve lost Iraq and we’ve almost lost Afghanistan.”

Fomin, however, reported a new Middle East defense client. The official
said Oman was ordering Russian military equipment, but did not specify.

The Kremlin has reported defense exports of more than $14 billion in
2012, a new record. Officials said Algeria has remained the leading defense
client of Russia in the Middle East.

  ‘Arab Spring’ was bad news for Russia’s defense industry, $14 billion in Russian defense exports in 2012, Federal Military-Technical Cooperation Service, Kremlin