MOSCOW. Nov 21 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia will supply arms and military hardware on preferential prices to armies of the nations signatories to the Collective Security Treaty starting from 2003, Secretary General of the Collective Security Council Valery Nikolayenko told a news conference in Moscow on Thursday.
Under the auspices of last year's agreement on the main principles of military-technical cooperation between the nations signatories to the treaty Russia will start selling armament on prices of production plants in 2003. "A decision to this effect was made at yesterday's session of the council of the treaty's defense ministers," Nikolayenko said.
He stressed that a list of Russian armament and military hardware to be supplied on preferential prices to the treaty's signatories has been finalized. "Russian arms will be supplied on preferential prices to all armed forces of the treaty's signatories, not only to units of the Collective Rapid-Deployment Forces as it was initially planned," Nikolayenko noted.
The Collective Security Treaty concluded on May 15, 1992 brings together Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. The Collective Rapid-Deployment Forces were established on May 25, 2001 in line with a decision of the Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Russian and Tajik presidents. The forces number some 1,300 people.