NEW DELHI. Dec 2 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia sells virtually no arms to Pakistan at India's request, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov told the press in New Delhi on Wednesday.
"At the request of the Indian side, we have virtually no military-technical cooperation with Pakistan," he said.
Several countries that provide spare parts and upgrade hardware for the Indian armed forces are also delivering arms to Islamabad, he said.
"India should be taking into account Russia's stance in the sphere of upgrading its weaponry, or not ask us to refrain from trade with Pakistan," Ivanov said.
Ivanov has been insisting that tenders for the delivery of spare parts for the Indian army would take into account Russian legislation, as well as the Defense Ministry's list of licensed companies.
Responding to a question from Interfax, he said: "The Indian arms market is quite large and its volume is estimated at scores of billions of dollars in the next decade."
Some 70-80% of the weaponry used by the Indian army is of Soviet or Russian design, he said. "We have good prospects here and we have to compete for new projects," he said.