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WORLD NEWS Thursday 31 augusT 2017

Russia hoping to boost arms sales after Syrian usage

By V. ISACHENKOV ic warfare systems, infantry
Associated Press weapons and other equip-
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia is ment.
hopeful that the new weap- Borisov, who is in charge of
ons it tested for the first time the military’s arsenals, said
in Syria will lead to a spike in their use has allowed de-
arms sales abroad, officials signers to fix any glitches
said Wednesday. they encountered faster
Foreign customers, they than would otherwise have
said, have been par- been the case.
ticularly interested in the Dmitry Shugayev, head
weapons that the Russian of the Federal Service for
military have used in Syria. Military-Technical Coop-
Moscow has waged an air eration, also said Wednes-
campaign there since Sep- day that foreign orders for
tember 2015, helping Presi- Russian weapons to be de-
dent Bashar Assad sharply livered over coming years
expand the area under his amount to almost $50 bil-
control. lion.
“The chance to test weap- Russia’s arms sales last year
ons in real combat can’t be totaled $15 billion, mak- In this photo taken on Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017 a man watches Russian military jets performing in
overestimated,” said Dep- ing it the world’s second- Alabino, outside Moscow, Russia. Russia is hopeful that the new weapons it tested for the first time
uty Defense Minister Yuri largest arms exporter after in Syria will lead to a spike in arms sales abroad, officials said Wednesday.
Borisov. “Customers have the United States. Sales this (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
started queuing up for the year are expected to be
weapons that have proven around that level. count for about half of who oversees international on the African market,” he
themselves in Syria.” Shugayev cited expert Russian arms sales abroad, military ties, said that Russia said.
Borisov said the weapons estimates saying Russia is while land weapons ac- hopes to expand its arms Fomin and other officials
tested for the first time in poised to take about 27 count for 30 percent of its sales to African nations, re- hailed the Army 2017 arms
the Syrian conflict included percent of the global mili- experts and air defense covering positions it lost af- fair held just outside Mos-
the Su-30 and the Su-35 tary aircraft market, slightly systems take about 20 per- ter the collapse of the Sovi- cow earlier this month, say-
fighter jets, new helicopter surpassing the U.S. cent. Alexander Fomin, a et Union. “We believe that ing that it helped attract
gunships, missiles, electron- Combat aircraft sales ac- deputy defense minister we have big perspectives new potential clients.q

NATO sending 3 monitors to Russia war-games but wants more

By LORNE COOK of NATO allies Estonia, Lat- have much wider access, announced war games, important that we avoid
Associated Press via, Lithuania and Poland, including briefings on the or snap exercises, can incidents and accidents
BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO will involve less than 13,000 exercise, opportunities to be watched with “snap or misunderstandings,” he
said Wednesday it will troops. Under international talk to soldiers and over- monitoring,” or that small, told The Associated Press
send three experts to ob- rules, the two should allow flights. multiple maneuvers under on Friday, in Orzysz, Poland.
serve military exercises be- wider access to monitors if The rules governing military different commands be Stoltenberg was in Orzysz
tween Russia and Belarus troop numbers exceed that exercises are enshrined in recognized as one big ex- to thank those in the 1,200
next month but alliance figure. the Organization for Se- ercise, loopholes he says U.S.-led battlegroup, based
Secretary-General Jens NATO spokeswoman Oana curity and Cooperation in Moscow is exploiting. near Russia’s Kaliningrad
Stoltenberg wants the two Lungescu said the three ex- Europe’s so-called Vienna “It’s especially important region and Belarus, for their
countries to allow broader perts will attend “Visitors’ Document. now, because tensions are service. NATO has a to-
monitoring. Days” in Belarus and Russia Stoltenberg is calling for the higher than they used to tal of around 4,500 troops
Russia and Belarus say the after they were invited to Vienna Document to be be. based in Estonia, Latvia,
Zapad 2017 exercise, which attend. revamped, and believes There is more military ac- Lithuania and Poland in re-
runs from Sept. 14 to Sept. But she said international he can muster enough tivity, more exercises and sponse to Russia’s renewed
20 not far from the borders rules permit monitors to support to ensure that un- therefore it’s even more assertiveness.q