PARIS — Exclusive talks are continuing between France and Russia over a possible sale of French Mistral-class helicopter carriers to the Russian army, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday.
Lavrov was speaking in Paris after a meeting of France’s and Russia’s foreign and defense ministers on military cooperation between the two countries.
“There is no change in the position of President [Dmitry] Medvedev in March when he said there would be exclusive negotiations on the Mistral,” Lavrov told reporters.
“Negotiations are ongoing and concrete. The negotiations are on technology transfer,” he said.
The sale appeared in question in August after Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov announced that he was opening the deal up to international tender.
(Reuters)
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