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Russia’s state arms exporter ready to arm Sahel countries to fight piracy — company chief

"Rosoboronexport offers African partners the products most essential for outfitting the armed forces and other law-enforcement agencies," Alexander Mikheyev said

MOSCOW, April 4. /TASS/. Russia’s state arms seller Rosoboronexport is ready to offer armaments for Sahel countries to fight separatism, drug trafficking and piracy as major challenges for the African continent, Rosoboronexport CEO Alexander Mikheyev told TASS on Friday.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after the talks with his counterparts from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso earlier on Friday that Russian specialists would help work out a scheme of outfitting the Alliance of Sahel States with specific types of armaments.

"Today the African continent is confronted with threats and challenges also typical of other countries and regions. Among the most acute, including in those countries, there has been an increase in terrorist threat and international organized crime. Intensified drug trafficking and piracy, illegal migration and illegal resources extraction create high tension for the defense, security and law-enforcement agencies of virtually all the states. In some countries, the threat of separatism is exacerbating. Rosoboronexport offers African partners the products most essential for outfitting the armed forces and other law-enforcement agencies," the chief executive said.

These are the products that are most of all suitable among all the armaments represented on the world market to meet security challenges on the continent, he stressed.

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