Unification of small arms
- Author:
- Photo:
- Date: 15.07.2014
- Share: Zdieľať na Facebook
Slovak and Czech ministries of defence are determined to unify their small arms inventory. This is implicit in Declaration on cooperation to create conditions for procurement of small arms. The act of signing the Declaration contains symbolism, as SVK Minister of Defence Martin Glváč and Head of the Czech Defence Department Martin Stropnický signed the Declaration on the day of the opening of the joint venture CZ – Slovakia in the premises of the former Military Repair Plant Nováky.
"We concurred on the need to unify our small arms inventories. We are not talking only about specific Czech brands. Needs and requirements of soldiers will always come first, the soldiers themselves must define what arms they need," said Martin Glváč. He added that the Czech party is ready to cede to us the orders they have made in competitive tendering and contracting with respect to the delivery of small arms, should our soldiers evince interest in the same. "Hence we could launch the planned process of rearmament as early as this year," said the Minister.
Head of the Czech Defence Department emphasized the importance of the Czech armaments industry entering Slovakia and he accentuated that it will bring along 200 working positions. “This is the most tangible form of cooperation I could imagine,” he said. He also stressed out that there is no problem in agreeing on specific weapons. "We only have to reach agreement as to our specific needs. As long as our requirements and needs are conformable, we will definitely seek to take the identical course of action," Minister Stropnický explained.
The joint Czech and Slovak venture CZ – Slovakia in Nováky was opened by SVK Prime Minister Robert Fico and Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka. According to Minister Glváč, partnership with the Czech company stands as testimony to the fact that inclusion of a strategic partner in MRP Nováky was the right thing to do and has become a precedent that is worth following. "While the former leadership considered winding up the MRP, we managed to preserve the plant and what is more, we created new working positions," stated SVK Minister of Defence.
"We concurred on the need to unify our small arms inventories. We are not talking only about specific Czech brands. Needs and requirements of soldiers will always come first, the soldiers themselves must define what arms they need," said Martin Glváč. He added that the Czech party is ready to cede to us the orders they have made in competitive tendering and contracting with respect to the delivery of small arms, should our soldiers evince interest in the same. "Hence we could launch the planned process of rearmament as early as this year," said the Minister.
Head of the Czech Defence Department emphasized the importance of the Czech armaments industry entering Slovakia and he accentuated that it will bring along 200 working positions. “This is the most tangible form of cooperation I could imagine,” he said. He also stressed out that there is no problem in agreeing on specific weapons. "We only have to reach agreement as to our specific needs. As long as our requirements and needs are conformable, we will definitely seek to take the identical course of action," Minister Stropnický explained.
The joint Czech and Slovak venture CZ – Slovakia in Nováky was opened by SVK Prime Minister Robert Fico and Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka. According to Minister Glváč, partnership with the Czech company stands as testimony to the fact that inclusion of a strategic partner in MRP Nováky was the right thing to do and has become a precedent that is worth following. "While the former leadership considered winding up the MRP, we managed to preserve the plant and what is more, we created new working positions," stated SVK Minister of Defence.
