ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
June 30, 2006 Friday 08:17 AM EST

State commission okays Russian Expo Arms 2006 in Nizhny Tagil

by Georgy Letov

YEKATERINBURG

A state commission gave a go-ahead on Friday to the Russian Expo Arms
2006 international exhibition of arms in Nizhny Tagil.

Already on Saturday, first exhibits will start arriving to the
territory of the exhibition center at the Nizhny Tagil Institute for
Metals Testing, spokesman for the regional ministry for energy,
industry and science Yevgeny Kharlamov told Tass.

According to the information department of the Nizhny Tagil
administration, over 24,000 square meters of open areas have been
prepared for the exhibition. Viewing stands will be able to
accommodate over 2,500 spectators. Over 400 enterprises of the
Russian military-industrial complex from 35 regions will present
about 2,500 exhibits.

Sixty-two units of military hardware will be used in a parade at the
unveiling of the exhibition. According to the regional minister for
international and foreign economic relations, 46 foreign delegations
will take part in the exhibition.

Official confirmations have come from the Czech Republic, Poland,
Germany, Switzerland, Venezuela, Sweden, Armenia, Tajikistan, Egypt,
Great Britain, Spain, Iran, Bulgaria, Mozambique and some other
states.

The most representative delegations will arrive from India, China and
Kyrgyzstan. Over 600 journalists from Russia, the USA, Japan,
Slovakia and South Korea will cover the event. The main events of the
exhibition will be shown on the Internet online.

The Itar-Tass, the Arms-Tass and the Rossiyskaya Gazeta are the
general sponsors of the exhibition, which will take place from July
11 to 15.