- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

VENEZUELA TO FORK OUT $54 MILLION FOR KALASHNIKOVS

Subscribe
MOSCOW, May 19 (RIA Novosti) - Venezuela has signed an agreement with Russia on the acquisition of 100,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles, a deal that will earn the Russian producers $54 million (one AK-103 costs $386.22), the daily newspaper Gazeta reported.

The first batch of 28,000 assault rifles will be delivered in October, said Venezuelan Defense Minister Jorge Garcia Carneiro. Another batch of 35,000 is to arrive in December and the remaining 37,000 will be sent in March 2006. Russia also pledged to deliver spares, maintenance and shooting manuals, as well as to train 45 Venezuelan specialists in assembling technology.

The South American republic will assemble the AK-103 under a Russian license and Russian specialists have assessed the possibilities of a defense factory in Caracas. The 100,001st Kalashnikov would be assembled in Venezuela by local specialists, Carneiro said.

Rosoboronexport spokesman Sergei Ladygin, who was present at the signing ceremony, said Venezuela would become the second country after Russia to assemble AK-103 guns, which will replace the Venezuelan army's Belgian FAL and Israeli Uzi guns.

It is the second military contract the two countries signed in 2005. In March, Venezuela bought nine Mi-17 combat helicopters and one Mi-26 transport helicopter for $120 million. Talks are underway to deliver 20 helicopters more to Venezuela.

The United States is wary of the close military-technical cooperation of Russia and Venezuela since Washington says that the policy of President Hugo Chavez is destabilizing the situation in Latin America. U.S. authorities suspect Caracas of supplying weapons to the FARC Marxist rebel group in neighboring Colombia. Chavez is believed to have personal sympathies for the Marxist guerrillas, but the U.S. Department of State has put FARC on its list of terrorist organizations.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала