First Deputy Prime Minister responsible for defence, security and the fight against corruption and crime and Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vucic said that investments in the development of defence technologies are in Serbia’s strategic interest because this helps to strengthen the state’s overall economic potential.
Opening a scientific and expert gathering on defence technologies “OTEH 2012” at the Military Technical Institute (VTI) in Belgrade, Vucic observed that these investments will directly affect the intensity of economic development, growth of export, increase in knowledge and production capacity, strengthening our industrial technological base and the revival of the airplane, machine, electrical, chemical and other branches of industry.
An exchange of knowledge, which is why “OTEH 2012” was organised in the first place, helps to further international cooperation in education, research, development and production of weapons and military equipment.
I hope that OTEH will increase its current interest in bilateral cooperation with Serbia, as well as encourage joint investment in the production of defence systems and their placement at the domestic and foreign markets, because in a time of financial crisis joint appearance on markets may prove very profitable, Vucic noted.
Recalling that over the past six decades more than 1,300 defence industry products have been designed at the VTI, Vucic noted that the future of armed forces and the Serbian defence industry depends on the knowledge and ability to embrace new scientific achievements.
Welcoming the participants of the fifth “OTEH”, Director of VTI Colonel Zoran Rajic said that the institute is projecting all means in a way so that they can be produced in Serbia and at the same time competitive on the world market in terms of price and quality.
Thus VTI helps the state to save millions of Euros which it would have to spend on the import of weapons and equipment, the Serbian Army gets high-tech tools and systems that significantly increase the level of its operational capabilities, Rajic said.
“OTEH 2012” is an important scientific and technical event held for the sake of a comprehensive and multidisciplinary analysis of scientific and technological development in the field of defence.
The event enables the exchange of experiences of experts, whose works and technical problems they solve will have practical applications in the fields relevant for the defence industry and the Serbian Army.
This year’s “OTEH” will last two days and the gathering will cover a variety of technical areas including aerodynamics and flight dynamics, weapons, ammunition, energy materials and vehicles, integrated sensor and robotic systems, telecommunication and information systems.
Source Serbia Gov.
