Russian First Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Popovkin and Italian Deputy Defense Minister on military technical cooperation Guido Crosetto are discussing on Tuesday in Moscow defense and military technical cooperation issues.
An Italian military delegation arrived on Monday in Moscow to hold talks on bilateral military-technical cooperation.
"Our talks open a new stage of cooperation between Russia and Italy," Popovkin said at the opening of the meeting. "It should not disappoint our expectations," he added.
The Russian and Italian governments see military-technical cooperation as a basis for relations, Crosetto said.
In August, the Kommersant daily said the Defense Ministry was planning to set up an assembly line with the Italian Iveco company to produce LMV M65 tactical vehicles in Russia. The Italian vehicles have already been included in the list of Russian military equipment, the paper said at the time.
Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said in September that Russia would buy Italian vehicles only if Iveco would agree to set up a joint assembly line in Russia.
The Russian state corporation Rostekhnologii is reportedly holding talks with Iveco on launching the joint venture with a planned minimum capacity of 500 vehicles per year.
MOSCOW, October 19 (RIA Novosti)
