DUBAI, November 13. /TASS/. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a reliable partner of Russia in the sphere of military-technical cooperation and both countries discuss the prospects of relations in this area, Head of Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugayev told TASS at the Dubai Airshow 2023 on Monday.

"The United Arab Emirates has been a reliable partner of Russia in the sphere of military-technical cooperation for many years. The current stage of relations in the sphere of military-technical cooperation is characterized by the development of interaction between Russia and the UAE with the emphasis on its cooperative component. We discuss both the implementation of existing contracts and promising areas of cooperation," Shugayev said.

Russia and the UAE regularly hold bilateral consultations on military-technical cooperation amid the Arab state’s interest in Russian military output, the defense agency chief said.

"The United Arab Emirates shows interest practically in the entire range of Russian military output. Bilateral consultations are held on a regular basis and it is premature to talk about their results at the current stage," he said.

Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation is in close contact with the United Arab Emirates on the issue of strengthening the Arab state’s defense capability, the military-technical cooperation agency told TASS.

"Our specialists constantly discuss possibilities for strengthening the defense potential of the United Arab Emirates practically in all areas," it said.

The UAE Army operates about 1,000 Russian-made BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, the defense agency said.

"BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles are among the world’s most reliable armored vehicles characterized by high combat efficiency. As for your inquiry, we can say that currently we hold no negotiations on this issue," the defense agency said, replying to a question about whether there were talks on modernizing this armor operational in the UAE Army.

The Dubai Airshow is one of the world’s largest aerospace exhibitions held once every two years. Russia has been a participant in Dubai aerospace shows since 1993. This year, 20 national pavilions at the Dubai Airshow will demonstrate over 180 aircraft of more than 1,400 producers. The Dubai aerospace show is running on November 13-17.