SANTIAGO. March 30 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian-Chilean military- technical cooperation is going on quite a different level, Russian Ambassador to Chile Vladimir Chkhikvadze told Interfax- Military News Agency Tuesday.
"It is important that from contacts we are going on to contracts. This is the main achievement. The most important thing is that we passed on from exhibiting at FIDAE to participating in concrete projects," he said at the FIDAE 2004 international air show in Santiago.
According to the ambassador, there are eight to 10 project under discussion that can be realized in Chile: helicopters, firearms, man-portable SAMs, police weapons, and others.
He added that until recently Russian exporters and producers had often rivaled one another, not the foreign competition, and emphasized that this show was probably the first one comprehensively and successfully managed by Rosoboronexport, the Russian state arms exporter.
"Of course it is hard to suppose that something can be done quickly here in Latin America," he said.
He emphasized that FIDAE, the largest air show in Latin America and the fifth largest in the world, provides a good way to promote Russian arms in the region. "I think that there will be a lot of contacts with Latin Americans at this exhibition," Chkhikvadze said.
He also said that on April 4 a delegation from the upper house of the Russian parliament, with Speaker Sergei Mironov at the top, would come to Chile. This, according to Chkhikvadze, indicates great interest of the Russian leadership in Chile and makes a good background for further cooperation.
On the political aspect of cooperation with Chile, the ambassador said that our countries had the same vision of the entire international agenda. At the same time, he said that economical cooperation does lag behind. "Turnover between Russia and Chile is worth about USD75m per year. This is not incomparable to our potentialities and capabilities," he said.
Chkhikvadze said that this FIDAE would see the second Russian-Chilean space seminar, and in November Russian shipbuilders would take part in the Chilean naval show.