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Russian arms exporter hails Cyprus missile deal
Sun, 5 Jan 1997 9:30:29 PST
C-reuters@clari.net (Reuter / Andrei Shukshin)
Copyright 1997 by Reuters

MOSCOW, Jan 5 (Reuter) - Russia's main arms export agency, Rosvooruzheniye, on Sunday hailed a contract it won to sell missiles to Cyprus and said the weapons would not disrupt the balance of forces in the region.

Valery Pogrebenkov, spokesman for the state-controlled company which has a near monopoly on arms exports from Russia, told Reuters the company hoped more deals with Cyprus would follow the contract concluded on Saturday.

Diplomats in the region said the decision by Cyprus to buy a surface-to-air S-300 missile system could result in a dramatic shift in the military balance on the island, effectively neutralising Turkish air superiority in the north of the island.

Pogrebenkov disagreed: ``The delivery to Cyprus of the rocket systems, which are purely defence weapons, does not disrupt the balance of forces in the region,'' he said by telephone.

But he added: ``After their installation, Cyprus will have the most reliable anti-aircraft defence system in the region.''

Moscow sees the S-300 as its equivalent of the American Patriot, used during the Gulf War. The chief difference, the Russians say, is that the S-300 is quicker and more effective.

Pogrebnikov dismissed concern expressed by Turkish Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller during a visit to Russia last month, saying that Russia had supplied military hardware to Turkey.

``We consider Turkey a prospective...partner in military and technical cooperation,'' Pogrebenkov said. ``We think Turkey was guided not by military but by political considerations.''

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third after a coup engineered by the military ruling in Greece at the time.

The Mediterranean island is the site of a heavy military build-up with 30,000 Turkish troops stationed in its north.

Russia and NATO member Turkey are competing for influence in several former Soviet republics, notably in Central Asia and in Azerbaijan on the Black Sea.

Pogrebenkov said Rosvooruzheniye had won the contract in fierce competition with leading Western arms producers.

He declined to say how much the contract was worth or give a time frame for the delivery of the missiles, saying only it was a matter of months. He said some Cypriot officials had expressed interest in some other Russian weapons and Rosvooruzheniye hoped for more contracts in future.

Nikolai Bezborodov, deputy head of the defence committee in the State Duma lower house of parliament, also defended the contract which he said corresponded to Russian national interests.

``Each country has the right to chose its allies and partners,'' Bezborodov told Itar-Tass news agency.