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Russian producers seek to promote small arms to NATO markets

The talk is about purchase of assault rifles designed in 1947 and the 1970s

MOSCOW, November 18 (Itar-Tass) — Russia’s arms producers will offer to the Defence Ministry new small arms and promote them to the markets of NATO member-states, the deputy director of the federal service for military and technical cooperation, Konstantin Biryulin, told Itar-Tass on Friday.

“The prospects for promoting our arms to the markets of NATO member-states are good,” he said. “The interest in our arms in the West is not restricted by only small arms. To some extent our positions worsen following media publications on the Defence Ministry’s refusal to buy Kalashnikov assault rifles.”

“The talk is about purchase of assault rifles designed in 1947 and the 1970s,” Biryulin said. “New arms will be bought. Of course, the production of old-design rifles will be halted. This is a normal process. This is the issue of the future whether arms production will be organized for NATO.”

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