Serdiukov: All Defense Contracts for 2012 Will Be Signed in December

22.11.2011 Russian defense ministry will sign all contracts under Defense Order 2012 in coming December and kick off its implementation early in the next year, said defense minister Anatoly Serdiukov at Defense Ministry Board on Nov 22.

"In the next year we must provide conditions for 100% execution of state defense order. To do that, we have to complete signing of all contracts in December and start their implementation since the beginning of the year", Serdiukov said.

As for him, in the next year functions of ordering authority will be handed over to Federal Procurement Agency.

Supply of troops with new weapons remains the defense ministry's top priority, emphasized Serdiukov.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin earlier said that Federal Budget 2012 provided RUR 880 bln for procurement and modernization of armaments, research, development and technological works. This is RUR 130 bln more than in 2011.

Besides, Putin told to set a special group at the Military Industrial Commission in order to settle pricing issues and control of defense contract execution.