MOSCOW. Feb 25 (Interfax) - Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin has denied media reports alleging that Russian-made fuel and lubricants are unsuitable for Mistral-class helicopter carriers being built in France for the Russian Navy.
"I am aware of problems of these ships, and the media reported about this, and there has been a lot of speculation, for instance, regarding fuel and lubricants, alleging that they are unsuitable. This is not quite so," Rogozin said at a meeting with members of patriotic organizations on Saturday.
Rogozin recalled that, while he served as Russia's permanent representative at NATO, fuel compatibility of Russian and Western-made vessels was among the issues in contacts with the alliance. "We considered the possibility of joint peacekeeping operations with Western countries, in particular, in the area of the Horn of Africa. Among other issues, we discussed the possibility of Russian tankers supplying fuel to warships participating in the anti-piracy operation under the EU and NATO auspices," he said.
Some problems do exist, but "on the whole, this was a media speculation," he said.
As Russia has signed a contract for the construction of the first two helicopter carriers at French shipyards, it should not revise these contracts as a country respecting its international obligations, Rogozin said. "But we are entitled, in contacts with the French side, to adjust some technical parameters and technical features of these ships, taking into account the area of their operation," he said.
Russia will analyze the possibility of concluding a contract with France for building the third and the fourth Mistrals only after the first two ships undergo operational testing, he said.