Russia Finalised a Deal with NATO to Supply Combat Helicopters to Afghanist

[JAT CHHORA]

Current Affairs Week: 11 Apr 2011 To 17 Apr 2011
Share
|


Russia finalised a deal with NATO in the second week of April 2011 to supply two dozen combat helicopters to Afghanistan and train local pilots. As per the agreement between NATO and Russia, a trust fund for the supply and maintenance of Mi-17 and Mi-35 helicopters will be set up.


Russia will sell 21 helicopters for the Afghan Army at a cost of 367.5 million US dollars in addition to three aircraft gratis. Russia-NATO cooperation in Afghanistan would be considered as one of the most tangible achievements of the Russia-NATO Council.


Russia Finalised a Deal with NATO to Supply Combat Helicopters to Afghanistan

 

[Capt.Popeye]

This move is not surprising.

Russia and NATO will increasingly co-operate to stabilise and strengthen Afghanistan. More such deals will come through in time. This allows NATO to get more "bang for its buck", the Afghans are familiar with Russian (Soviet) hardware and it ties up Russia into a more co-operative stance vis-a-vis Afghanistan. And increases the comfort factor for NATO allowing the alliance to scale back its presence; though the Western presence (most notably the American presence) will remain into the fore-seeable future, regardless of public pronouncements.

Russian-NATO/US co-operation in Afghanistan is bound to increase and will lead to a new understanding, especially one that will have commercial considerations in very large measure.