Putin pushing for Russia's larger role in international weapons shows

MOSCOW. Nov 4 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for Russia's broader involvement in international weapons exhibitions.

"Such international exhibitions help Russian producers obtain a firmer foothold on foreign markets and broaden military- technological cooperation between different countries," Putin told a session of the commission for military-technical cooperation with foreign countries on Tuesday.

The president underscored the importance of the two large- scale weapons exhibitions held in Russia - the navy show in St. Petersburg and the MAKS air show in the town of Zhukovsky, Moscow region.

He said that the MAKS show has risen to a new level this year.

"Today, we need to build on these achievements and draw up a plan of actions for the future," Putin said. He invited the session's participants to put forward their suggestions on ways to advance the system of military-technical cooperation and its mechanisms.