Russia and Bulgaria have agreed to resolve issues related to unlicensed production of Soviet-era weaponry and equipment by Bulgarian companies, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said.
"We spoke about bilateral military-technical cooperation. There are some problems in this area that we must resolve together," Putin said after talks with his Bulgarian counterpart Boiko Borisov in Sofia on Saturday.
"They are related to unlicensed production of Soviet-era special equipment and weaponry," he said.
In particular, Russia is concerned about unlicensed production of Kalashnikov assault rifles by Bulgarian companies, including Arsenal, whose license expired a long time ago.
Russia insists that it suffers major losses from the counterfeit manufacture of Kalashnikov rifles in at least 15 countries.
According to Kalashnikov producer Izhmash, Russia accounts for only 10-12% of the million Kalashnikov rifles sold globally every year, with the rest being unlicensed copies.
Only China currently has a valid license to manufacture Kalashnikov rifles and their modifications.
SOFIA, November 14 (RIA Novosti)
