Russia and Rwanda are developing military-technical cooperation, and negotiations over potential deliveries of air defense systems to Kigali are underway, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after his meeting with the head of Rwanda's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Louise Mushikiwabo on June 3.

Rwanda already operates several SA-7B (Grail-b) 9K32M Strela-2M man-portable air defense systems (Picture source )

"We feature good cooperation in the military-technical area. Rwanda's armed forces and law enforcement agencies operate our helicopters, Ural trucks, small arms; potential deliveries of air defense systems are being discussed," Lavrov said. "Last year, we established an intergovernmental committee on military-technical cooperation," the minister pointed out. "Last Autumn, [the committee] held its first meeting in Kigali and outlined the prospects for development of military-technical cooperation. The next meeting is scheduled for Autumn 2018, it will take place in Moscow," Lavrov added.

According to the Military Balance 2018 analytical book published by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Rwanda operates a large number of Soviet-/Russian-originated platforms, including 24 T-54/55 main battle tanks, several BMP infantry fighting vehicles, several BTR armored personnel carriers, several T-54/55-based engineering vehicles, six D-30 howitzers, several Strela-2 man-portable air defense systems, 14.5 mm/23 mm/37 mm anti-aircraft guns, two Mi-24V (NATO code: Hind) and three Mi-35P (Hind) combat helicopters, and four Mi-17V (Hip), a Mi-17MD (Hip), a Mi-17V-5 (Hip-H), and five Mi-17-1V (Hip) military transport helicopters.