It's important to shift from export of Russian weapons to creation of licensed production facilities - Russian DM (Part 2)

MOSCOW. Dec 16 (Interfax) - It is necessary to transition from the export of Russian weapons to the creation of licensed production facilities, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said.

"The task is not only to increase the export of military-purpose products, which is not always possible with regard for the special military operation. There is a need for a transition to stable cooperation ties between defense enterprises, including in licensed production. With guarantees of procurement of produced military products by the Russian Armed Forces and its partners," Belousov said at a Defense Ministry board meeting on Monday.

"These are the kind of relations that are formed with the Republic of Belarus in the Union State," he said.

It is necessary "to ensure the creation of effective mechanisms for collective reaction to new security threats," Belousov said. "To do that, it is necessary to use the potential of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Union State," he said.

"It is necessary to put bilateral forms of military cooperation on a long-term and stable foundation," the minister said.

"We are talking about long-term planning and the organization of joint trainings and patrols. Air defense, reconnaissance data exchange and other practical formats," Belousov said.

"It is necessary to ensure expansion of Russia's positions on the global armaments markets, including in industrial cooperation with our partners," he said.

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