Military, Security Delegations in Moscow to Seal 'Quality Arms' Agreements
Lebanese delegations are expected to travel to Russia next week as part of talks initiated by Prime Minister Saad Hariri with the Russian leadership to provide Lebanon's military with “quality weapons”, al-Mustaqbal daily reported on Wednesday.
Russian diplomatic sources told the daily “Russian authorities are preparing to receive a Lebanese security delegation from the ministry of interior, followed by a military delegation from the ministry of defense to start talks on 'quality weapons' that Lebanon needs within the framework of an agreement between Hariri and the Russian leadership.”
Noting that this agreement was concluded with Moscow in 2010 before the government of Hariri with the aim of strengthening the army's capabilities, but the overthrow of that government hampered its implementation, the sources pointed out that “Hariri has revived this agreement during his visit to Russia in September.”
According to the deal Moscow will “finance the process of arming the military with quality weapons and equipment worth one billion dollars. The Russian state is to reimburse the arms manufacturers after which the Lebanese state is to install the payments over a 12-year period at an interest close to 0%,” they told the daily.
The security and military delegations to Moscow are set to focus on reviewing the Russian weapons' programs to select what the army and security forces require, they added.
Source: Naharnet
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