Russian Deputy Prime Minister Refutes Liberalisation Of Military And Technical Cooperation With Countries Under International Embargo

Russia does not intend to liberalise military and technical cooperation (MTC) with countries that are under the international embargo, indicated Ilya Klebanov, Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science, Industry, and Technology, at a briefing in the Kremlin. According to Mr. Klebanov, Russia has two lists, which determine its policy towards MTC. The first document lists types of ammunitions and hardware, which are exported without a presidential permission. The second list outlines countries that for this or that reason are under the embargo on trade related to MTC. "After the September 11th events, the latter list has undergone no significant changes; no countries have been crossed out of it," Mr. Klebanov said. He added that Russia did not sell weapons to the countries listed in the document. The deputy prime minister also mentioned that the president would soon sign a decree, under which major companies of the Russian military and industrial sector would be allowed to provide parts and post-contract maintenance of the hardware it has supplied.