27.08.2021.

10th “PARTNER 2021“ Arms and Military Equipment Fair announced

It was announced at today’s press conference held at the Belgrade Fair that the 10th “PARTNER 2021“ International Arms and Military Equipment Fair would be held from October 11 to 14 this year.

Assistant Minister of Defence for Material Resources Nenad Miloradović, PhD, Assistant Director for Commercial Affairs at Yugoimport-SDPR Aleksandar Lijaković and Advisor to the Belgrade Fair CEO Mirjana Lukić spoke at the press conference about the "PARTNER" Fair, which has grown over the past 17 years into the largest and most important arms and military equipment fair in Southeast Europe, and the participants and novelties that will be exhibited.

- We are proud of the fact that each subsequent fair that we organized together was better and more successful than the previous one. We expect the same this year - Miloradović said, emphasizing that the Ministry of Defence views the "PARTNER" Fair as an excellent opportunity and an important mechanism for presenting to the domestic and world public Serbia’s achievements in research, development and production of weapons and military equipment and defence technology.

The Assistant Minister of Defence notes that our capacities for research and development of weapons and military equipment are at the same time an important support for maintaining and improving the defence power of the Republic of Serbia, but also the potential for export and economic growth.

In addition to companies belonging to the Serbian Defence Industry Group, other Serbian manufacturers of weapons and military equipment, legal entities registered as arms and military equipment dealers, scientific, educational and research institutions, as well as the MOD’s institutions involved in the overhaul, maintenance and testing of weapons and military equipment will be presented at the upcoming fair.

- More than 70 new pieces of weapons and military equipment developed by the Military Technical Institute, which works independently or in collaboration with the Serbian Defence Industry, will be exhibited at the fair, namely: artillery-missile systems, air defence systems, modernized combat vehicles, new armoured vehicles, aircraft, unmanned aerial and ground platforms, anti-tank systems, telecommunication fire control systems, off-road vehicles, as well as various types of guided and unguided missiles. "Yugoimport-SDPR" will showcase about 40 systems that are part of its own development program, and the companies belonging to the Serbian Defence Industry Group will present their development projects in addition to weapons that they develop together with the Military Technical Institute. As this is an international event, and due to the growing international military-technical and military-economic cooperation with partner countries, including the Russian Federation, France, USA, PRC, numerous Western developed countries and friendly countries from the Middle East and Africa, we expect a significant number of foreign, renowned manufacturers of weapons and military equipment to come to the fair this year - announced Miloradović.

Aleksandar Lijaković, Assistant Director for Commercial Affairs at "Yugoimport-SDPR", points out that the company, as a co-organizer of the upcoming fair, will present itself as the main implementer of development and production of complex combat systems and ammunition, as an integrator of the Serbian Defence Industry on the world market and as a company responsible for arming the Serbian Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior with domestically produced and imported weapons and equipment.

According to him, the "PARTNER" Fair will showcase products developed and manufactured by Yugoimport’s daughter companies, such as "Borbeni složeni sistemi" (Complex Combat Systems)from Velika Plana, with a plant in Kuršumlija, the "Belom" factory in Uzići, which produces small arms ammunition, Pančevo’s "Utva", as well as "Kovački centar" (Blacksmith Centre) and the new "Kapislana" (Primer Production Shop)in Valjevo. Lijaković points out that Srpska banka is also one of Yugoimport-SDPR’s subsidiaries, as financial and strategic partner of that company.

According to him, the fair is an opportunity to present a group of Yugoimport's sub-contractors.

- These are small and medium-sized enterprises without which we would not be able to work. They manufacture components and subsystems for our complex combat systems, including some more complex ones, such as the automatic loader for the "Nora" weapon system - Lijaković emphasized, adding that presenting these companies at the fair will contribute to the presentation of the overall efficiency and power of our defence industry.

According to Mirjana Lukić, Advisor to the Belgrade Fair CEO, the "PARTNER" Fair is the result of good cooperation between the Ministry of Defence and "Yugoimport-SDPR" and the Belgrade Fair, as the third partner, is doing its best to rise to the challenge.

- I would like to note that the first fair had 23 exhibitors. Thanks to the efforts of everyone present here, all the institutions, it has become a prestigious event and the largest fair in Southeast Europe. It's not just about the scope, it's about the quality and interest of world-renowned exhibitors to participate in the "PARTNER" Fair. This year we have the opportunity to welcome the most famous names. This is the result of the work of the Ministry of Defence and Yugoimport, and we will do our best not to let down our partners in this business - Mirjana Lukić emphasized.

At today's conference, it was also announced that the 10th "PARTNER" Arms and Military Equipment Fair will be held in halls 1 and 4 and in the Belgrade Fair’s open space, comprising about 26,000 square metres of exhibition space. During the fair, expert forums and panel discussions will be held where Serbian and foreign military experts will have the opportunity to present achievements and ideas and exchange experiences in the field of defence technology, and if conditions permit, a display of weapons and military equipment with live firing will be held at the Nikinci training ground.