Tuesday, Aug 05, 2003
|Putin to seal Su-30 deal
By Vladimir Radyuhin
MOSCOW AUG. 4. The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, on Tuesday will sign a $900-million deal to sell Malaysia 18 Su-30MKM multi-role fighters.
During his one-and-a-half-day visit to Kuala Lumpur, the first by a Russian head of state, Mr. Putin will also seek to forge strategic partnership with Malaysia in the war against terrorism.
Russia and Malaysia have moved closer to each other after the U.S.-led war in Iraq, which both countries strongly opposed. A month after the war Malaysia announced its decision to buy Russian-built Su-30 planes, rather than the U.S. F/A-18E/D Super Hornets, which also bid for Malaysia's market. Over the past 10 years, Malaysia has bought Russian MiG-29 fighter planes, MI-17 helicopters and anti-tank missiles. Russian defence sources said the SU-30MKM planes would be a close copy of India's SU-30MKI, the only difference being that the Malaysian version will have French avionics, whereas IAF's planes are equipped with Israeli and Indian avionics.
In his talks with the Malaysian Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, Mr. Putin will discuss the need for close anti-terrorist interaction with Malaysia and other nations situated along the "terrorist arc" stretching from Chechnya to the Philippines. In particular, Mr. Putin will urge setting up cooperation between the regional anti-terrorist centre opened in Kuala Lumpur on July 1 and a similar centre being organised by the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Kyrgyzstan.
In October, Malaysia will take over chairmanship in the OIC and Mr. Putin is expected to try and win Mr. Mohamad's support for depriving Chechen rebels of assistance from the OIC members.
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