Dubai Airshow 2021: Russia positive about Middle East prospects despite sanctions

Russian firms are beginning to adapt to the restrictions created by the US government's Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) as well as wider sanctions, Rostec Director for International Cooperation and Regional Policy Department Viktor Kladov told Janes in a written statement.

“By now we have learned how to work under sanctions. We are committed to our policy of building partnerships with all countries and regions without exception. In collaboration with some countries in the region we are implementing many projects, both in civilian areas and in the sphere of military-technical cooperation,” he said.

“It is obvious that our American colleagues are using the political justification of CAATSA to conceal quite specific business objectives. It is a tool of unfair competition aimed only at preventing us from operating in international markets, first and foremost the arms markets, where we have been strengthening our position,” Kladov said.

According to Kladov, the CAATSA act is “aimed not so much against us, but more directly against the countries that buy Russian weapons and military equipment. Its purpose is to intimidate our partners and force them to abandon their plans and to start buying American instead of Russian equipment”.

“But we are talking about large independent states pursuing an independent foreign policy. Imposing the rules of the game on them is a clear manifestation of disrespect. The Gulf states make decisions on the acquisition of weapons and military equipment based on their own political, diplomatic, financial, economic, military, technical and other factors,” Kladov added.

More than 30% of Rosoboronexport's export bookings was for equipment sales to the Middle East, Kladov said, with the total global order book valued at over USD52 billion.