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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, colleagues,

Today we are holding a regular meeting of the Commission for Military Technical Cooperation with Foreign States. As per tradition, we will start with the current situation in this sphere and then map our further steps to strengthen Russia’s positions on the global market of weapons and military equipment.

Based on the results of January to September 2017, our military technical contract portfolio exceeds $45 billion. Under the 2017 plan, our export deliveries will amount to $15.3 billion.

Russia is firmly committed to its obligations in the fight against terrorism, chooses its counteragents scrupulously and closely monitors the use of our equipment and weapons by our clients.

We must implement our plans in full, and we must also continue to enhance our efficiency in the sphere of military technical cooperation, including by tightening control over the implementation of our contractual obligations.

At the same time, I would like to point out that the Russian producers and suppliers of weapons and military equipment have to operate in difficult conditions and amid unfair competition, which has become obvious and includes hampered financial settlements, logistical obstacles and problems with protecting intellectual rights. Taken together, this results in increased spending and complicates the work of the Russian parties to military technical cooperation.

Arms exports are a huge responsibility for any country.

Despite this, we have strengthened the economic and financial stability of our defence companies and increased their technological and production capacities over the past few years, which allows them to increase exports and improve the quality of exports, both military goods and high-tech civilian goods. In this context, I would like to remind you about the importance of diversifying our defence sector.

Of course, we must strengthen ties with our strategic partners, but we also need to develop contacts with new clients. We certainly want to profit commercially from the sale of our military products, yet the interests of global and regional security and stability will always be our top priority.

Russia is firmly committed to its obligations in the fight against terrorism, chooses its counteragents scrupulously and closely monitors the use of our equipment and weapons by our clients.

Russian producers and suppliers of weapons and military equipment have to operate in difficult conditions and amid unfair competition.

Meanwhile, we have taken note of several alarming trends, which have been growing stronger lately. I am referring above all to the frequent violations of international law by some players on the weapons market, as well as direct threats made to sovereign states.

We see an imitation rather than a real fight against terrorist groups, and uncontrolled arms deliveries are growing in scale. Weapons that are delivered to the so-called moderate opposition here or there today can resurface in the hands of radicals and terrorists tomorrow.

It appears that the hot spots and conflict zones have become a profitable business for certain parties and links in the ramified grey network of arms deliveries to counties and regions with unstable military and political situation.

As I have said, arms exports are a huge responsibility for any country, and all players on the global arms market must be aware of this.

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