ANKARA. Dec 7 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov supports the expansion of the arms trade with Turkey.
"Russian-Turkish military-technical cooperation lags behind our cooperation with many NATO countries," Ivanov said at talks with his Turkish counterpart Vecdi Gonul in Ankara on Tuesday.
Authorized Russian companies are ready to take part in arms delivery tenders organized in Turkey, he said.
"We are not asking for special treatment. We would want matters to be decided in a transparent way according to cost-effectiveness criteria," he said.
"Not only are Russian companies ready to deliver military hardware to Turkey, but also to manufacture them under license and offer maintenance services," Ivanov said.
"All necessary legislation exists for developing military-technical cooperation with Turkey, including an agreement on the protection of intellectual property," he said.
Gonul said Turkey's membership in NATO is no obstacle to the expansion of military-technical cooperation with Russia.