Iraqi MP: New Government Should Purchase Weapons from Russia and China
Iraqi parliamentarian Migdad Al-Hafaji told Sputnik News that the new Iraqi government should change its arms procurement strategy, abandoning exclusive reliance on U.S. defense products and considering modern air defense systems from Russia or China.
"We hope the new Iraqi government will shift away from past policies, as we believe complete dependence on the U.S. government for arms procurement has not been successful," the lawmaker said.
According to him, during Iraq's fight against ISIS (a terrorist organization banned in Russia), the United States failed to provide necessary weapons, including air defense systems.
Al-Hafaji pointed out that Iraq’s aircraft lack modern weaponry, and that the U.S. "controls the use of F-16 fighters and their ammunition supply."
"We hope arms will be supplied by different countries. We are not opposed to supplies from the United States, but diversification is essential—arms must also be procured from other advanced weapons-producing nations, including Russia and China," he said.
He also expressed hope to establish contacts with major powers soon to procure air defense systems, noting that due to the situation in the Middle East, Iraq urgently needs such systems. The countries he mentioned include Russia and China.
Source: sputniknews
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1866221053726728/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.