Russia doing business with Syria

Syria Denies MiG Deal Cancelled

Syria on Sunday denied a report by the Russian newspaper Kommersant that Moscow had cancelled a $500-million deal agreed to in 2007 to sell the Damascus government eight advanced MiG-31 fighter aircraft. Kommersant cited pressure from Israel and Syria's inability to pay for the planes.
An official Syrian statement said, "This is part of attempts to undermine the friendly relations and cooperation between Syria and Russia." The statement was issued as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited the Syrian capital and met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. During the meeting, al-Assad told Lavrov that the Middle East peace conference that Moscow wants to organize this year should be properly planned ahead of time.