MOSCOW. Nov 13 (Interfax-AVN) - The first all-Russian show entitled "Russian Producers and Armed Forces Support" opened at the local TsSKA sports center at 10:00 a.m. Moscow time (0700 GMT) on Tuesday.
The event is organised by the Defense Ministry, other law-enforcement ministries and agencies, Master-Expo company and Moscow city government, a spokesman for the show's organisers committee told Interfax-Military News Agency. Its main aim is to develop mutually profitable cooperation and business partnership between Russian producers and rear services of law-enforcement agencies.
The show will cover over 3,100 square kilometers and involve over 300 enterprises and companies which are ready to supply goods to law-enforcement agencies. Among them are manufacturers of products for the needs of many support services of the Armed Forces including the clothes, foodstuffs, medical, road and fuel services. The show's participants represent 56 Russian localities, as well as companies from Belarus, Latvia and Hungary. The largest section of the show is set up by enterprises of Moscow and the Moscow region.
Colonel General Vladimir Isakov, commander of the Armed Forces Rear and deputy defense minister, told Interfax-AVN that some 70 percent of the companies taking part in the show had not worked with the Defense Ministry before. They are participating in the event to learn about the ministry's approaches to holding competitions for provision of goods and services to the law-enforcement agencies.
Isakov stressed that leaders of the Armed Forces Rear were planning to make the list of providers more stable taking into account requests of all law-enforcement agencies. "This is necessary to guarantee meeting the demands of the army and other military bodies, as well as following the country's mobilization requirements," he stressed.
Besides, the Defense Ministry will work with providers on condition of preserving the level of prices for three months, Isakov said. This approach has been upheld by many large providers of goods and services. Those who do not meet the condition will be fined, the deputy minister said.
The show is to end on Friday.