Russian arms exports are growing year after year and the country steadily ranks as the world's second arms exporter after the United States, Federal Service for Military-Technological Cooperation (FSMTC) Director Alexander Fomin told Interfax-AVN on Friday.

Russian arms exports are growing year after year and the country steadily ranks as the world's second arms exporter after the United States, Federal Service for Military-Technological Cooperation (FSMTC) Director Alexander Fomin told Interfax-AVN on Friday.

"We have been proving our second position in the world in terms of arms exports after the United States year after year," Fomin said.

In his words, arms exports growth has been rather dynamic in recent years. "We have been steadily enlarging dollar-priced [sales] targets by approximately $1 billion each year. And those targets were met. Certainly, we are fulfilling government orders now. So, the industries have big tasks to accomplish in state defense orders and exports. Arms deliveries to our army and abroad have markedly grown in recent years," the FSMTC director said.

By exporting armaments and military hardware Russia, it is strengthening the relations of partnership, security and stability of a concrete country, a region and the world at large, Fomin said. "We are proud of the international demand for all our brands and types of armaments and military hardware. Russian hardware is top-grade by its quality, reliability, easy use, repairability and safety factor. Besides, our prices are always lower than those asked for by our main rivals," he noted.

In the words of Fomin, Russian prices are higher than those of China but much lower than those of Western rivals and partners.

"Our weapons are in demand worldwide, on every continent. In Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Arab East. Our weapons are present in over 100 countries of the world," Fomin said.

In spite of the breakup of the Warsaw Treaty Organization and the new situation in a number of Middle East and African countries, Russia is maintaining relations with most traditional partners in the field of repairs and modernization of armaments delivered in the previous period, deliveries of spare parts and training of specialists. New markets, some of which were lost in the post-Soviet period, are emerging.

"This is a natural course of events. We are entering new markets in Latin America and Asia. It is a distinctive feature of world arms exports that partners, especially those in economically developed states, set a mandatory condition of the involvement of their industries in the joint development and production of weapons. That could be mass production of particular weapon types or partial involvement in the production of component parts. We meet these requirements," Fomin said.

He noted that the transfer of technologies was a rather complicated process and it was much easier to exchange an end product for cash. "Technologies may cost less than an end product but in fact a technology and intellect are priceless. Nevertheless, Russia is sharing with its foreign partners and transferring its highest technologies," Fomin remarked.

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