MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/. Russia maintains contacts in the sphere of military and technical cooperation with almost a half of the world’s states and about 50 countries are the customers of Russian military products, Head of the Federation Council’s Defense and Security Committee, Aerospace Force Ex-Chief Viktor Bondarev said on Thursday.
"In the sphere of military-technical cooperation, Russia maintains contacts with almost a half of the world’s states. About 50 countries are the customers of Russian military output. Arms exports amounted to over $15 billion in 2020 and we hope for their growth," he said at an annual briefing with foreign military attaches accredited in Russia.
The defense industry must meet the requirements of the Armed Forces and ensure Russia’s strategic presence on the world markets of hi-tech products and services," the senior senator said.
"The aircraft-, ship-building and space rocket industries, radio-electronic technologies and some types of the engineering and building sector have been identified as priority areas," he said.
Russia has been considerably expanding contacts with the defense ministries of the Asia-Pacific countries lately, he said.
In particular, Russia is successfully developing military and military-technical cooperation with China, India, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. It is also building up defense interaction with the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia and some other countries of the region, he said.