3,000 Kalashnikov Rifles to Be Delivered to Mali

Rosoboronexport has signed a contract to supply Mali’s Defence Ministry with about 3,000 7.62mm Kalashnikov modernized assault rifles. This information was presented by a source in the military-industrial complex. The corresponding documents were signed in September 2012, with the contract value exceeding 1 million dollars. Under the terms of the contract, arms deliveries shall be carried out by Izhmash.

It should be noted that the Malian authorities have previously asked Rosoboronexport to consider whether it’s possible to maintain deliveries of helicopters, armored machinery and small arms. According to Anatoly Isaikin, the Director General of Russia’s leading arms exporter, the company is currently supplying the government of Mali with the small arms.

It’s noteworthy that Catherine Ashton, a representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has recently invited Russia to participate in a military training mission in Mali. However, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has rejected this offer, stating that Moscow and Brussels had not concluded a framework agreement on cooperation in peacekeeping operations.