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Slovakia fails to return Russian equipment delivered to service MiG-29 jets — agency

Acting Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad announced on March 22 that Ukrainian specialists were carrying out works to accept MiG-29 fighter jets being handed over to Kiev free of charge

MOSCOW, March 31. /TASS/. Slovakia has not yet returned Russia expensive equipment delivered for servicing MiG-29 fighter jets and has not paid for the works done after the maintenance deal was cancelled, Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation reported on Friday.

In 2009, the Slovak Defense Ministry signed a contract with the Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG on the maintenance of MiG-29 fighter jets operational in the Slovak Air Force. Meanwhile, the Russian side strictly complied with all of its commitments over all this period for maintaining these aircraft combat-ready, the defense agency said.

"Last year, however, the Slovak side announced the deal cancellation. Despite this, the issues of returning Russia the expensive equipment imported to service the aircraft as part of fulfilling contractual commitments, and also paying for the services rendered remained unsettled," it said.

Acting Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad announced on March 22 that Ukrainian specialists were carrying out works to accept MiG-29 fighter jets being handed over to Kiev free of charge. It was reported that the first four out of 13 fighter jets removed from the Slovak Air Force inventory last year had been handed over to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation told TASS that Slovakia’s handover of fighter jets was a gross violation of its international commitments for the re-export of Russian armaments.

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