Official website of the President of Russia

Transcripts   /

President Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, dear colleagues,

As was agreed, the commission’s meeting today will focus on an important and sensitive aspect of military-technical cooperation with other countries, namely the link between this cooperation and development of the Russian defence industry’s scientific and technological potential.

Today, we are to take a detailed look at the state of affairs regarding research and development work on creating new models of military equipment, both in the interests of our foreign partners and of our own armed forces.

Among other matters, we will also examine some regional aspects of military-technical cooperation.

The Russian defence industry is one of the world leaders in scientific and applied work on creating new arms and military equipment. Our country has always been able to pride itself on its scientists and its arms designers who have gained worldwide recognition for their achievements.

The current situation is one in which advanced technology is becoming competitive and attractive the world over. Cutting-edge technology today is a genuinely competitive good. There can be no doubt that our specialists should also keep an eye on development trends in this segment of the world market.

In the high-tech segment, as in the case with supplies of ready-made types of arms, our position is that joint research and development work in the interests of both Russian and foreign clients must in all cases be organised in strict accordance with international obligations and with Russian legislation. It is for this reason that the state will continue to pay close attention to regulating this particular area of military-technical cooperation.

More and more countries seek to develop their own military production – and this usually implies the use of advanced technology – and in this aim they look to make ever-broader use of other countries’ scientific achievements and design concepts.

We are now seeing much broader exchange of information and scientific knowledge in this area and so we need to ensure that we have well-functioning mechanisms regulating research and development work in the interests of our foreign partners in the military-technical cooperation sphere.

In this regard, I would like to hear your assessments of the current state of affairs and your proposals for the future.

Of course, we also need to discuss the question of protecting security and the state’s interests in this area and ensuring the necessary secrecy procedures in the organisation of joint work.

Let us now turn to regional issues on today’s agenda.

I would like to point out that the principles and priorities governing our military-technical cooperation remain unchanged. Russia’s commitments to helping this or that country ensure their defence capability always take into account the balance of force and interests that has taken shape in different parts of the world. I think it is clear to everyone that our activities in this area are without question a very important and sensitive component of the Russian Federation’s foreign policy work.

Maintaining this line and above all ensuring a good level of technical servicing for Soviet and Russian-made arms and equipment being used by other countries’ armed forces is an important part of the state’s general efforts to protect and promote Russia’s interests.

I would like to thank the journalists present here today. We will now continue our work behind closed doors. Thank you very much.