Russia denies supplying combat helicopters to Iraq

Moscow, June 30 (UNI) Russia has denied media reports that it supplied Iraq with Mi-17 Hip multi-purpose helicopters.

''Considering the ongoing conflict in Iraq, Russia does not have any military and technical cooperation with this country at the moment,'' official spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Mikhail Kamynin said in a statement.

He was referring to the report earlier this week by Iraqi daily Al Mada that the Iraqi army had commissioned a batch of Russian helicopters, but did not specify the number.

Iraqi Defence Minister Abdel Qadar Jassim ai-Ubeidi inspected today the aircraft at an air base near Baghdad, the paper said, quoting military sources.

Kamynin said that since Russia had not supplied Iraq with military hardware, ''it is obvious that the helicopters must have got there via other countries''.

He also said Russia viewed Iraq as a traditional partner in West Asia.

''We have old ties with this country in different areas of trade and economic cooperation,'' he noted.

The Mi-17 is an improved version of the Mi-8 helicopter, also known as the Mi-8TMB. It is specifically designed for improved capabilities at high altitudes and in hot weather conditions.

UNI