Belarus seeks stronger defence industry cooperation with Russia

Belarus and Russia should strengthen defense industry cooperation to improve the quality and marketability of products destined for foreign markets, said Sergey Gurulev, chairman of the Belarusian State Military-Industrial Committee.
"Amid a volatile global economic environment, cooperation between Belarusian and Russian defense industry enterprises can reach a new mutually beneficial level," Gurulev said in an article published on the committee’s website on Tuesday.
Gurulev highlighted the important role of research and development programs financed by the Russia-Belarus Union State, also in defense and security fields, in promoting integration processes.
"This form of cooperation allows us to put up the union’s capital to develop new technologies, including for the military," he said, noting that the Union State annually provided funding for some eight research and development programs implemented by Belarusian and Russian defense companies
Some 99 Belarusian enterprises currently supplied Russia with 1,880 different defense-related products, and some 940 Russian enterprises delivered about 4,000 items to 67 companies in Belarus, Gurulev said.
"Belarusian supplies account for 15% of the Russian defence order," he said, adding that these were mainly high-technology products.