ISRAEL'S PROPOSAL TO MODERNIZE SOVIET-MADE WEAPONS IN BULGARIA IS ILLEGAL
RIA Novosti
NICE (FRANCE), February 11 (RIA Novosti) - "All deals of this kind are illegal. I would call it counterfeiting because it (Israeli modernization) is conducted without a license," announced yesterday Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov at a press conference on the results of the Russia-NATO Council in Nice.
According to Russian minister, the modernization of weapons procured from the former Soviet Union in the past poses a serious problem between Russia and practically all countries of Eastern Europe.
The Bulgarian defense ministry announced a consortium consisting of Israeli Elbit Systems company and U.S. Lockheed Martin corporation as an "exclusive candidate" for modernization of its fleet of Soviet-made helicopters.
"The program envisions modernization of 12 Mi-24 attack helicopters and 6 Mi-17 transport helicopters in accordance with NATO standards," says a statement disseminated by Elbit in December 2004.
The signing of the contract with the Bulgarian government is expected after the last details of the deal, with the Israeli electronics firm as a general contractor, have been coordinated. Elbit has not divulged the amount of the contract.
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