MOSCOW. July 23 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia should expand military-technical cooperation with Arab nations, Latin America, Southeastern Asia and Africa, Andrei Nikolayev, defense committee chairman in the State Duma lower house of parliament, said on Wednesday.
"Russia should boost the volume of cooperation with Arab nations, Latin America and Southeastern Asia. Russia's progress in Africa is very poor, but the continent has a great potential. A delegation of the Duma defense committee which has recently returned from South Africa made sure of that," Nikolayev told Interfax-Military News Agency.
"Africa has a high opinion of Russian armored vehicles and expresses enhanced interest in Russian technical protection assets, especially those for border guards. Impressions of Russian small arms are traditionally positive," the lawmaker said.
India and China account for as much as 85 percent of Russia's military-technical cooperation volume. "This is a weak point of the Russian policy in the military-technical cooperation sphere," he said.
"Nevertheless, while we discuss new markets, we should not forget traditional ones. Today we have to admit that India has started diversifying its military-technical cooperation. It means that Russia should suggest more perfect products, upgrade programs and promising offset projects," Nikolayev stressed.
According to him, Russia has "excellent competitive arms and military hardware."
"Unfortunately, they are often produced in extremely small numbers or for exports only. At the same time, equipping the Russian army with up-to-date armament is the best advertisement for our defense industry's achievements," the lawmaker said.
"The defense committee is planning to consider a series of bills aimed at improving the legislative basis for Russia's military-technical cooperation with foreign states during the upcoming session of the lower house of parliament. Among our goals is making a part of profits from arms sales return to the defense industry sphere," Nikolayev said.