RUSSIA ANNUALLY ALLOCATES 50 MILLION DOLLARS FOR NUCLEAR SUBMARINES UTILISATION - FOREIGN MINISTRY

MOSCOW, April 23 (RIA Novosti) - Every year Russia allocates about 50 million dollars for the utilisation of nuclear submarines, Mikhail Lysenko, director of the Security and Disarmament Board of the Russian Foreign Ministry, has said in Moscow on Friday. He appeared at the international conference G8 Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction "In all, we have to utilise over 100 multipurpose nuclear submarines", Lysenko said.

The important goal of "handling radioactive waste" and rehabilitating on-shore technical bases in Russia's North Western and Far Eastern regions is tackled.

As regards international cooperation in utilising nuclear submarines, Lysenko reminded of the 2003 Russian-Japanese agreement on utilising the Victor submarine type.

"This pilot project can be the first step towards even more important utilisation contracts on 40 written-off general-purpose submarines in the Far Eastern region", Lysenko said.

Canada has voiced readiness to be involved in nuclear subs utilisation starting in the next fiscal year.

"Such interaction is getting on in Germany. Several contracts have been made with Britain in continuation of the earlier agreements for the Andreev Bay and Gremikha (were nuclear submarines are utilised)". Lysenko said.

To him, joint projects with also Italy are in discussion,