Putin says Russia plans to deepen military-technical ties with 'friendly countries'

President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia intends to develop military and technical cooperation with "friendly countries" with whom Moscow wants to jointly produce arms and train military personnel.

In a speech at Russia's showcase economic forum in St Petersburg, Putin said Moscow also planned to modernise its own armed forces and their bases by equipping them with the latest weapons and technology.

"We will harness new technology to improve the combat capabilities of the Russian armed forces, modernise military infrastructure facilities, (and) equip them with the latest technology and weapons and equipment," he said.

"At the same time, we intend to develop military-technical co-operation with friendly countries. And we are talking not only about supplies or the modernisation of equipment and weapons, but also about joint development, personnel training, and the creation of turn-key enterprises and production facilities," he said.

Talking about global trade, Putin said Russia planned to develop trade ties with its partners by removing barriers, opening up market niches and deepening investment cooperation.