ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Iraq is looking to buy weaponry from Russia to strengthen its air defences, a member of Iraqi parliament’s security and defence council told Rudaw on Thursday.
Iraq needs “modern radars, an advanced missile system and new technologies, and to train air defence personnels on these modern systems and weapons,” council member Saran al-Aajibi told Rudaw's Mushtaq Ramadan on Thursday.
“The foreign minister told us that the defence minister will soon visit to Russia to discuss further cooperation in that field,” Aajibi said, after Iraqi foreign minister Fuad Hussein led a delegation to Moscow last week.
Earlier this year, the United States deployed Patriot air defence batteries to protect remaining American personnel at Iraqi bases frequently struck in rocket attacks claimed by Iran-backed militias. An American air defence system also protects the US embassy in Baghdad.
“The security and defence council had asked the government to diversify our source of weaponry and not only rely on one country...if the relationship between the two countries worsens, then our source of weaponry will also vanish," Aajibi said.
The council has also asked the government to include a section on strengthening the air defence system in their 2021 budget bill, he added.
The United States and Russia have repeatedly contended for air missile defence system sales abroad, including in Iraq's northwestern neighbour Turkey.
Iraq's defence ministry spokeperson Major General Tahsin Khafaji told Rudaw last year that the government was considering purchasing Russian air defence system reinforcements.
“A number of countries are ready to develop Iraq’s air defence system,” Khafaji said. “UK, US, France and Russia are on the line to supply Iraq with developed air defence systems.”
Translation and additional reporting by Dilan S.Hussein
