Posted on 02/09/2005 4:29:17 PM PST by Tailgunner Joe
Moscow is preparing its first major defense contract with Saudi Arabia, the world's largest arms buyer that has traditionally spent its petrodollars on U.S.-made weapons.
The deal is part of a strategy aimed at diversifying Russia's arms buyers away from China and India, Sergei Chemezov, general director of state-owned arms exporter Rosoboronexport, told reporters Wednesday.
Russia also signed an arms contract with Morocco last month, he said, the first since the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Chemezov refused to give any details, but said that Russia is stepping up negotiations with Middle Eastern countries for jointly developing air defense systems on the basis of the domestically produced S-300, Buk and Tor-M1 systems.
"If a contract with Saudi Arabia is signed, it will be a landmark event in Russian arms exporting," said Marat Kenzhetayev, an expert with the Center for Arms Control.
From 1991 to 2002, Saudi Arabia imported $93 billion worth of weapons, Kenzhetayev said, while Morocco imported $1 billion.
In that same period of time, Riyadh signed $40 billion worth of arms contracts, of which $28 billion flowed to the United States and not a penny went to Russia, he said.
After U.S.-Saudi relations dampened following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the situation now seems to be swinging in Russia's favor, Kenzhetayev said.
While Moscow already sells arms to Middle Eastern countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Iran, Kuwait and Algeria, a deal with the Saudis could push its neighbors Jordan and Oman to sign Russian contracts as well, Kenzhetayev said.
For Moscow, which sells arms to 59 countries, finding new customers is important as it tries to diversify away from major clients China and India, which account for 80 percent of Russian arms sales.
"We have reached the ceiling of $5 billion to $6 billion in annual arms sales abroad," Chemezov said. "We have to change something drastically."
Last year, Rosoboronexport, which mediates over 90 percent of the country's arms deals, delivered $5.1 billion worth of arms out of $5.8 billion exported by Russia as a whole.
Rosoboronexport has orders of $12 billion through 2007, but Chemezov said that this year Rosoboronexport can expect to make $1 billion less in revenues.
"The reason? Our companies cannot produce more modern weapons. [The industry] is in need of investment either from private companies or from the state," he said. "Today we sell weapons that were designed in the late 1970s and early 1980s."
Rosoboronexport plans to boost control over defense production by placing its directors on the boards of arms makers and buying stakes, Chemezov said.
Chemezov said that all sales are strictly in line with international agreements and do not violate any United Nations sanctions.
"However, if some country, including the United States, makes its own decision [on sanctions], pardon us, we are not obliged to do as America says," Chemezov said.
Last month, Israel and the United States expressed concern about the possible sale of SA-18 surface-to-air missiles to Syria.
Asked whether any such contract was discussed during Syrian President Bashar Assad's recent visit or is planned, Chemezov said: "No."
. The one you listed is after Armageddon probably in the Millennium Kingdom .
I don't think parts of Ezekiel 38 & 39 is very far off but that's just my studied opinion.I just can"t see the situation over there keep dragging on like it is. Others disagree.
Joe 3:10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.
Joe 3:11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD.
Joe 3:12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.
You are basing your prophecy timneline of events on the new testament. I am basing mine on the real testament.
As the saying goes, Never the Twain shall meet.
Didn't the Gulf War show us how Russian stuff holds up against our stuff?
Russia should be ashamed.
I don't really understand what you are saying I was just trying to answer your query.
These are not my prophecies I am not a prophet. These are just my understanding of them which could be wrong.
I also don't understand what you mean by me basing my time line one the New Testament.
Ezekiel and Joel are both Old Testament books and the comments I made about Ezekiel is based on the time order in the book of Ezekiel itself.
I find my self about equally in both the Old And New Testament and find that each is necessary to the understanding of the other.
They are both by the same original author and they are both about the same person.
If one is not real then you can throw both in the trash.
So should the US!!!afterall,who kept the Saudis & other Persian Gulf states stocked for the past 30 years???
Saudi Arabia along with Egypt & Turkey have among the best equipped militaries in the region(taking Israel out of the equation).
Not necessarily so!!The Saudis are more or less following a trend which is seen around the world.The UAE,Kuwait,Greece,South Korea have all brought various Russian systems in the past decades while still remaining major American customers.The UAE had no problem in buying the BMP-3 IFV & Pantysr SAM systems ,while still going for over 80 F-16s & Apaches from Uncle Sam.It pays to not put all your eggs in one big basket.Besides,I have yet to see about the US saying anything solid on stopping armssales to the region.You can do a check on FR's searchpage on the US offering PAC-3 missiles,M1 & E-3 upgrade packages to the Saudis.
Moreover Russia has usually avoided sales to the Persian Gulf states till recently due to their support for Chechen & (ex)Yugoslavian separatists.But with India looking at French & Israeli weapon systems & the EU due to lift it's armsban on China,the Russian share of these markets will only come down.
IslamoCommunist Filth BTTT
I agree.
Pinging... Russian gang now in another state of paradox and confusion after having flamed us so many times for the USA not attacking the Saudis. Russia is selling arms to Saudi Arabia.
...Daniel, the man of understanding? I read about that in the Bomberg text but am only starting the real thing--In the Beginning.
And the Soviets were using methods there that we never would and still could'nt pull it off.
Ping........Does America have an enemy that is not supplied
arms by Russia?
They have very good equipment, but they are rather poor trained, especially pilots.
Russians are arming other oil states. See: Venezuela 100,000 AK-47's.
Russia wants a stranglehold on the oil market. Making big trouble for the USA.
Hope the NSC is noticing this.
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