Russia, UK to Sign Arms Agreement in Spring


Russia, UK to Sign Arms Agreement in Spring

TEHRAN (Tasnim) - After years of discord, London and Moscow are restoring military cooperation and may even begin a bilateral arms trade later this year.

The deal enabling British and Russian arms industries to work together on ‘unclassified’ issues is already drafted.

Britain’s Telegraph has revealed that sources in both Moscow and London are confirming that the countries are ready to commence military cooperation on a new level.

“Work is ongoing on a Military Technical Cooperation Agreement (MTCA) between the UK Ministry of Defence and Russian Federal Service for Military Technical Cooperation, which will provide a framework for Russian and UK defense companies to cooperate at an unclassified level,” British MOD spokesman said, as cited by the Telegraph.

A landmark deal being hammered out right now will enable British and Russian arms producers to buy components from one another and exchange certain technical data, provided it does not contradict the secrecy regulations of either country.

Experts from the two sides are busy examining the draft text and, according to the newspaper, the parties are finding common language quicker than was expected.

Cooperation would not go too far as both countries possess technology, such as missile engineering or surveillance electronic equipment, they would not share with a former Cold War adversary. Still, bilateral relations would eventually gain from the deal.

Russian-British relations are now gradually warming after the ‘polonium scandal’ in 2006, when former Russian security officer Aleksandr Litvinenko, who allegedly was consulting British intelligence, was murdered in London with a radioactive substance.

London and Moscow started cautious mutual approach back in 2012 after meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin and British Prime Minister David Cameron in London.

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