MOSCOW - The Soviet National Council has approved the sale to San Martinia of spare military hardware and other military aircraft worth up to $500 million, which may put the Soviet-FSR cooperation in jeopardy. Soviet Union's military sales to the FSR's neighbor is an irritant in the relations between one of the world’s two largest economies.
“This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the Soviet Union by helping to improve the security and defensive capability of the recipient, which has been and continues to be an important force for political stability, military balance, and economic progress in the region,” the Minister of Defense said in a statement issued on Monday.
However, some members of Kremlin oppose the sale. The conservatists urge the President to veto and withdraw the planned sale and stop military contacts with San Martinia, to avoid serious harm to both Soviet-FSR cooperation in major areas, and peace and stability on the continent.
In exchange, the San martinian companies and businesses agreed to invest and help the development of the Russian far east, particularly around the Vladivostok region.