Serbian defense industry at turning point: After 8-month break, export licenses need to be issued again

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Minister of Internal and Foreign Trade Jagoda Lazarevic said today in Lucani that all Serbian defense industry factories have undergone an 8-month challenging period since the suspension of exports of weapons and military equipment, and that the ministry, in cooperation with other actors, will try to make sure the permits start getting issued once again.

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"The idea is to try to start issuing permits in order to preserve what we have, the clients all over the world, to unburden the warehouses so that an entire sector, which provides a significant momentum for our entire industry, can continue to grow and function. This requires involvement of several actors in order to find our way out of this situation, which is caused by the specific circumstances that we, and Europe, and the whole world find ourselves in," the minister told Tanjug after a meeting she held with the management of the defense industry factory Milan Blagojevic in Lucani.

The minister toured the factory's facilities, which are the first in the defense industry chain in Serbia, because they produce components necessary for other factories in the sector.

"The suspension of exports perhaps makes the work of the Lucan factory less difficult than it does that of others in the Serbian defense industry. This factory is one of the most successful ones and the production program is getting improved. This is important for the whole country and its export potential, but also our defense capabilities. Everything that the company does for the town and its social responsibility (policy) are exemplary, as has been raising the company from the ashes after 1999 (after NATO bombing), which reflects our fighting spirit," Lazarevic concluded.

Factory director Predrag Ilic told Tanjug that cooperation between the company and the state is always at the highest level.

"I expect assistance from the Ministry of Trade related to export permits so that we can continue to work as we have done successfully thus far," Ilic said.

According to him, 60 percent of the factory's production is going to the domestic market, i.e. to those manufacturing final products, such as Sloboda Kragujevac, Krusik Valjevo, and Prvi Partizan Uzice.

Today, Minister Lazarevic will also visit the Prvi Partizan ammunition factory in Uzice and tour the facilities in Dautovac.

(Telegraf Biznis/Tanjug)