Vladimir Putin began by reviewing the results of military-technical cooperation with foreign countries. More than $3 billion worth of military equipment had been exported in the first seven months of the year, which constituted 70% of the annual target, the President stressed. He noted that Russia supplied military equipment to both Europe and Asia. President Putin stressed that the system of military-technical cooperation had performed in a stable and effective manner in 2003.
Cooperation with the European countries is good, notably with France and Italy, and cooperation with India and China is developing. Russia is moving to new frontiers in its interaction with Israel, he said.
Mr Putin also noted the significance of two large-scale exhibitions of armaments and military equipment held in Russia: the naval show in St Petersburg and the Moscow Aerospace Show (MAKS).
The number of producers with independent access to the international market has increased.
The President paid great attention to protecting the intellectual property rights of Russian military technologies transferred to foreign countries. It is no secret, he said, that the developments of Russian scientists and designers often provide the basis for the production of competitive and highly profitable products abroad which are then sold to third countries and compete with Russian goods there.
President Putin considers developing a single strategy for protecting Russia’s intellectual property rights in the military-technical field to be a very important task. That strategy should provide effective legal regulation of the export of technologies and finished military products, he said.
Taking part in the meeting of the Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation between Russia and Foreign Countries were Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Dmitry Medvedev, Chairman of the RF Committee on Military-Technical Cooperation Mikhail Dmitriev, Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov, FSB Director Nikolai Patrushev, Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Lebedev and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Sergei Prikhodko.