Russia has not suspended sales of weapons to Syria despite continuing armed clashes in that country, said a top Russian arms export official.
“Russia is continuing to honour its obligations under contracts we have signed with Syria because there are no restrictions on arms supplies there,” Vyacheslav Dzirkaln, deputy head of Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, was quoted as saying on Sunday by the Interfax news wire.
“We hope the situation in Syria will stabilise,” he told reporters at an air show in Dubai.
The reaffirmation of Russian defence commitments came a day after the Arab League suspended Syria's membership and called on its army to stop killing civilians.
Largest buyer
Syria is the largest buyer of Russian weapons in West Asia. As of January 2011, Russia had contracts to supply arms to Syria worth $3.5-billion, the RIA Novosti Russian government news agency reported. The biggest deal involves the supply of two Bastion anti-ship missile system with 72 Yakhont supersonic missiles, the prototype of the Indo-Russian BrahMos missile.
Earlier this month, Mikhail Dmitriyev, head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, said Russia was going ahead with the deal despite Western objections. “This contract is under implementation,” he told reporters.
Russia has staunchly opposed sanctions against Syria and blocked Western attempts to censure Syria in the United Nations Security Council.
