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Mistral to go in Russian hands
09.02.10 11:09
France`s top naval official has said that France will allow the sale of an advanced warship to Russia. Russia`s navy chief last year said a Mistral warship would have allowed Russia to mount a more efficient operation in its 2008 war with Georgia. Some officials have shown interest in buying one _ which would be Russia`s first arms deal with a NATO country _ but it has been unclear if France would approve. By this deal France will become the first NATO member state, which will sell modern weaponry to Russia. U.S., Georgia, Ukraine and some Baltic States, fear that `Mistral` in Russian hands will grow potential threat of aggression in the region, however, French president Nicolas Sarkozy has downplayed the concerns.
At the meeting with the U.S. Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, Sarkozy ruled out possibility of new aggression from Russia even in case Mistral is being sold to the country.
Russia decided to buy the warship, the pride of the French navy, after the 2008 August war with Georgia.
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