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Russia reports record year in arms exports

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Monday, January 10, 2005

MOSCOW — Russia has reported another record in weapons exports.

Russian officials said Moscow exported $5.7 billion worth of weapons and military equipment in 2004. They said this represented a $300 million increase over 2004, which marked a record year in defense exports.

The Federal Military-Technical Cooperation Service, which confirmed the figures, said China and India were again the leading arms clients of Russia.

Russian aviation sales comprised the biggest part of the increase. The service said half of the export figure was in aviation sales.

The most popular fighter-jet exported by Moscow was the Sukhoi fighter-jet. In 2004, China took delivery of 24 Su-30MK2 fighters under a $1 billion deal signed in 2003. The service said China and India were again the leading arms clients of Russia.



Officials said the Middle East did not comprise a major market for Russia in 2004. But they said the Defense Ministry and the state arms export agency Rosoboronexport sought to increase sales in the region in 2005.

Earlier, Rosoboronexport director-general Sergei Chemezov said the agency has signed contracts worth over $5.5 billion in 2004. He said the backlog of orders has reached more than $12 billion and includes all signed and validated contracts to be executed before 2007.

Officials said Rosoboronexport does not plan to open new offices in the Middle East. They said the agency plans to open in such countries as Belgium, Italy, Myanmar and Venezuela.

"In the past few years Russian arms and military hardware exports have been steadily growing, Chemezov said. "In five years they doubled and in 2003 reached the record mark in post-Soviet times of $5.57 billion."

Mikhail Dmitriyev, head of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation with Foreign Countries, asserted that Russia has failed to exploit its strengths in the global arms market. He said rising defense exports have failed to improve the defense industry or quality control.

"It is not the military industry that influences military-technical cooperation with foreign countries, but the defense cooperation that directly influences Russia's military-industrial complex," Dmitriyev said.


Copyright © 2004 East West Services, Inc.

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