Russia, Germany to Modernize MiG-29 Fighters
Russia and Germany are to sign a large-scale agreement to modernize Russian MiG-29 fighter planes and supply them to Eastern European countries, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said on Tuesday.
The agreement to give the go-ahead to the MiG-29 West program will be signed in Moscow during the MAKS air show, which opens next week, Ivanov told a briefing in St. Petersburg.
He said this year`s second meeting between the Russian and German defense ministers ended in St. Petersburg on Tuesday.
Under a decision by the Russian president and German chancellor, such meetings are to be informal and held twice a year, Ivanov said. He said his next meeting with German Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping will be held in Naples, Italy. The meeting will follow a ``NATO countries plus Russia`` format.
European security will also be discussed at a meeting of the defense ministers of the Baltic countries in Sweden. In spring next year, Ivanov plans to visit Scharping`s native town.
Ivanov said relations between the Russian and German defense ministries dominated the St. Petersburg meeting.
He also said that 50 programs are being implemented under a 2001 cooperation plan. They included the weapons trade and the development and modernization of ships, submarines and fighters.
Interfax
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