Saudi Arabia on arms shopping spree in Russia

Riyadh/Moscow/Dubai: Talks on military-technical cooperation between Russia and Saudi Arabia are apparently more advanced than previously assumed.

According to defence ministry sources in Moscow, a $2 billion (Dh7.34 billion) deal between Riyadh and Moscow originally comprised up to 30 attack helicopters and 120 transport helicopters ordered from Russia's state-owned defence export company Rosoboronexport, as reported earlier this month.

The helicopter deal was confirmed in principle by Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko last Thursday.

"We are working in this direction, we can confirm this," he told the Russian news agency RIA Novosti.

"A military-technical cooperation [with Saudi Arabia] is in Russia's interests and does not violate its international commitments in this sphere," he added.

No comment

He declined to comment on the value of the deal and on any figures of weaponry to be delivered.

But according to defence analysts quoted by Russian news agency Interfax, the deal also includes up to 150 battle tanks and 250 infantry armoured vehicles as well as Russia's state-of-the-art S-400 missile system, which is said to be more efficient than the US missile system MIM-104 Patriot.

Saudi Arabia reportedly is interested in purchasing "several dozens" of the S-400 system, each including eight launchers, 32 missiles and a mobile command post.

The magnitude of this deal is said to break the decades-long grip of the US on Saudi Arabia's arms purchases and also allows Saudi Arabia to diversify its supply of weapons and strategic orientation, defence analysts say.

Up to now, American and European military suppliers have provided some 90 per cent of the weapons sought by Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries.

Russian analysts linked the Saudi interest in Russian weapons to a change in the kingdom's political priorities and the difficulties it has encountered in purchasing weaponry from the West since the September 11 attacks.

Signing soon

Most likely, the contract will be signed by the end of this year. "All technical and financial issues have been practically coordinated," a defence ministry source was quoted as saying by Interfax.

The news prompted the conservative US think tank Heritage Foundation, known as an influential, semi-political organisation dominated by Republican lobbyists, to accuse the Obama government of standing on the sidelines as Russia enhances its influence in the Gulf region.

"The new Russo-Saudi deal has a great geopolitical significance," Heritage analyst Ariel Cohen said.

"The White House should take seriously the consequences of possible increases of Russian military sales to the House of Saud in the future. The Obama Administration better wake up and pay attention."

Cohen also assumes that the closer cooperation between Russia and Saudi Arabia could lead to closer coordination between Russia and Opec, including oil production and pricing.

"Such increasing cartelisation between the two largest oil producers on the planet may not be in the interest of oil-consuming countries."

Saudi Arabia has a current annual defence budget of $33 billion, and this is expected to reach $44 billion in 2010.