Anatoliy Isaykin
FGUP Rosoboroneksport General Director Anatoliy Isaykin is smiling, but not about Mistral.
In fact, Isaykin’s poured cold water on thoughts of quickly resolving the Russo-French impasse over these helicopter carriers.
As if to answer anyone looking for a date when negotiations will be completed, Voyenno-promyshlennyy kuryer quotes Isaykin:
“Dates are guesses. Such contracts, when we’re talking hundreds of millions of euros, — this is years and years of negotiations. It’s simply funny to expect we’ll conclude such a contract over several months.”
Of the complex and lengthy contracting process, VPK says don’t expect a detailed contract to be signed earlier than next year. The political agreement on the acquisition was one thing, but now there’s routine pre-contract work which takes months, if not years, agreeing step-by-step on hundreds of points and compromises.
Recall early this year Isaykin was very reserved about the political agreement on Mistral, reminding the press it contained nothing about costs or timeframes.
Russian Defense Policy 