Russia Defies 'unfair' US Arms Competition

Russian arms-export giant Rosoboronexport has called recent US sanctions against the company 'a manifestation of unfair competition'.

Rosoboronexport was among the list of 13 companies or organizations blacklisted by the United Sates State Department Thursday for allegedly violating a US ban on sales of arm technology to Iran, Syria or N. Korea.

"It is not the first time that the US has imposed sanctions against the only Russian state enterprise exporting weapons and military hardware abroad," Rosoboronexport spokesman Vyacheslav Davydenko said on Friday.

He called the sanctions another attempt by the US to 'dictate its rules in the sphere of international military-technical cooperation.'

In a separate statement, the company said Washington is 'pursuing a policy of double standards' and 'turning a blind eye' to recent arms exports by its allies 'to trouble spots' throughout the world.

The US was the leader in arms supplies to the Middle East during 2007. About 60 countries receive annual US military aid, amounting to around $4.5 billion a year, to help them buy American weapons, over 80% of the assistance of which goes to Israel and Egypt.

Washington's allies France and Britain have also signed major arms contracts with countries in the region. Saudi Arabia, with orders totaling 1.16 billion euros, was France's top arms buyer in 2007, followed by the United Arab Emirates, Spain and the United States.

Davydenko declared that the company plans to 'stand by all of its commitments to advance cooperation with other countries'.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov also reacted sharply to the punitive measures imposed on Rosoboronexport, saying that the sanctions will not stop Russia's trade with Iran.

"All our trade and all of our military-technical cooperation with Iran are carried out in strict accordance with current international legal norms," he said, speaking at a news briefing in Luxembourg.

"There can be no other explanation here than the rather arrogant extra-territorial implementation of American laws," Lavrov concluded.