Russia rules out arms sale to Pakistan

“I am officially authorised to declare that Russia’s stand remains unchanged,” Deputy Director General of the State Arms Exporting Company, Rosvoorouzhenie, Oleg Sidoreenko said, denying last month’s media reports that Moscow was planning to lift the embargo against Pakistan if India went for second-hand Czech-made T-72 tanks.

He noted that “while giving this unprecedented guaranty Russia was guided by the fact that New Delhi is its strategic partner and a major buyer of Russian arms”.

However, he said Moscow was not happy about the “delay” on the part of India in taking a decision on Russian offer of modern tanks.

“In the absence of Indian orders we are keeping our tank industry jobless by not allowing it to supply vital components to Ukraine for the now scrapped Kiev-Islamabad tank deal,” he said, and added “India also should understand our problems.”

The Russian Deputy Chief arms exporter, however, expressed hope that India would take a decision soon and the long-term military-technical cooperation programme would be successfully completed. Under the Indo-Russian Defence Cooperation Agreement, till year 2000 Moscow is to supply latest military hardware to New Delhi, Sidorenko said.

The two countries have also agreed to expand the cooperation programme beyond 2000.

The Indo-Russian working group co-chaired by the Indian Defence Secretary and Rosvoorouzhenie Director General is expected to launch preparations for the new five-year programme at its meeting in Moscow in September.

The Deputy Chief of the arms company also regretted about some Indian media reports suggesting “non-compliance” of contractual obligations by Rosvoorouzhenie.

Commenting on the reports about the alleged supply of defective `R60MK’ air-to-air missiles in 1991, Sidorenko said the two sides had jointly reached a conclusion that it was due to the violations of the norms of unloading, transportation and stockpiling.

`Rosvoorouzhenie company is being blamed for “misdeeds” committed even before its formation on November 29, 1993, Sidorenko said, noting that most of the cases reported in the Indian media took place when the erstwhile Soviet Union was disintegrating and Russia was in a transition phase.

“We are a State company and we make commitments on behalf of our Government, so there is no question of ignoring contractual obligations,” he said.

Under the framework of the long-term military cooperation programme signed in December 1994, Russia has offered India a modernised version of `Kilo’ class submarines classified as Project 363, a modernised version of T-72 tanks equipped with active protection system to match T-80UD tanks being acquired by Islamabad from Ukraine.