Foreign ministry slams State Department’s comment on Russian arms deliveries to Myanmar

Russian Politics & Diplomacy January 26, 2018, 17:38

Moscow also pointed to the losses and destruction that US weapons had inflicted on Southeast Asian countries during multiple wars

MOSCOW, January 26. /TASS/. A statement made by Spokesperson for the US Department of State Heather Nauert that Russia’s arms deliveries to Myanmar may exacerbate the situation in the Southeast Asian country were prompted by a very "fertile" imagination, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement released on Friday.

"Cooperation in the military-technical sphere is a legitimate component of relations between states if it does not run counter to the decisions of the UN Security Council," the Russian foreign ministry noted. "Deliveries of Russian military products to Myanmar are aimed at bolstering this country’s defense capabilities."

"Only counterparts from the Department of State with a very ‘fertile’ imagination could see a connection between the specified task and the threat of ‘greater suffering’ of the civilian population," the ministry stressed.

Moscow pointed to the losses and destruction that American weapons had inflicted on Southeast Asian countries during multiple wars. "However, it does not prevent Washington from selling lethal arms to Southeast Asian countries and building up its military presence in proximity to the specified global region," the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed.

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin earlier said that an agreement had been reached that Russia would supply six Su-30 fighter aircraft to the republic as a result of Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu’s visit to Myanmar. In light of this, Fomin expressed opinion that this plane "will become the main fighter aircraft of Myanmar’s air force to protect the country’s territorial integrity and repel any terror threats," noting that Russian armaments proved their capability during their operation in Myanmar’s Armed Forces.

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