The Russian Defense Ministry does not plan to purchase large consignments of foreign arms, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said on Thursday.
"The Defense Ministry is not going to buy large volumes of finished [arms] products abroad. We are trying to push our industry to develop and manufacture modern technical equipment at home," Serdyukov said.
"The Defense Ministry plans to purchase armored vehicles from the Italian automaker Iveco," Serdyukov said. The contract will be fulfilled only if a joint assembly line is set up in Russia, he added.
In August, Kommersant daily said that the Defense Ministry was going to set up an assembly line with Iveco to produce LMV M65 tactical vehicles in Russia. The Italian vehicles have already been included in the list of Russian military equipment, the paper added.
The Russian state corporation Rostekhnologii is currently holding talks with Iveco on launching a joint venture with a planned minimum capacity of 500 vehicles per year, Kommersant said
"We have received two vehicles and tested them in Russia," Serdyukov said. The results of the tests will determine the Defense Ministry's final decision.
MOSCOW, September 9 (RIA Novosti)
