New Libyan authorities want to resume military-technological cooperation with Russia - Rosoboronexport
ZHUKOVSKY, Moscow region. June 29 (Interfax-AVN) - The new Libyan authorities have expressed their wish to resume military-technological cooperation with Russia, Igor Sevastyanov, the head of the delegation of the Russian state arms export agency, Rosoboronexport, said at the Engineering Technologies 2012 international forum in Zhukovsky on Friday.
"You must remember the announcement about substantial contracts with that country, which were frozen following the revolution," Sevastyanov said when asked about prospects of the resumption of Russian-Libyan military-technological cooperation.
"The new authorities now have the desire to continue military-technological cooperation with Russia," he added.
"The Libyan military are very difficult, firm and demanding buyers," which is understandable as "a lot of them studied either in the Soviet Union or in Russia," he said.
"We are willing to continue this work. Plans regarding hardware for the air force, the ground forces and the navy were very serious," he said.
Rosoboronexport General Director Anatoly Isaikin told journalists earlier that Russia had concluded arms contracts worth $2 billion with the previous Libyan leadership and planned to sign $2-million worth of contracts more.
Certain sources indicate that the Soviet Union shipped to Libya about 350 warplanes, including 130 MiG-23 and 70 MiG-21 fighters, six Su-24 frontline bombers, and six Tu-22 long-range bombers, from 1981 and 1985. It has also been reported that the Libyan army currently possesses about 4,000 Soviet-made armored vehicles, a large amount of anti-aircraft missile systems, naval craft, and other weapons.
