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Signing of an Agreement on Cooperation between the Ministries of Defence of Slovenia and Montenegro

Today, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Damir Črnčec, and the State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence of Montenegro, Dr Krsto Perović, signed an Agreement between the Ministries of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia and Montenegro on cooperation in the field of military reconnaissance and aerial surveillance and monitoring based on the joint procurement of Belin unmanned aerial systems.

The Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia intends to procure additional unmanned aerial systems for the Slovenian Armed Forces while the Ministry of Defence of Montenegro plans to procure unmanned aerial systems for the Montenegrin Armed Forces. To achieve this, both ministries have mitually decided to procure Belin unmanned aerial systems, along with associated equipment from C-Astral. Furthermore, they commit to ongoing collaboration in the realm of military reconnaissance, air surveillance, and drone monitoring. 

This is the first time that Slovenia and another country have concluded an agreement for the purchase of military arms and equipment on a government-to-government basis, whereby Slovenia will transfer the procured equipment to the other country. The Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia has coordinated all the legal and financial bases for such agreements with the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Slovenia.

The purpose of the agreement is to define the modalities of the implementation and the mutual rights and obligations of the parties to the agreement relation to the joint procurement of unmanned aerial systems. According to the agreement, the Slovenian Ministry of Defence will procure Belin unmanned aerial systems from C-Astral on behalf of and for the account of the Montenegrin Ministry of Defence, including documentation and training provided by the supplier. The procurement will cover the needs of the Slovenian and Montenegrin Ministries of Defence and the Ministry of Defence of Montenegro will not be a direct legal participant in the joint defence and security procurement process and in the conclusion of the contract with the industrial supplier.

The signing of the agreement on the joint procurement of unmanned aerial systems is the result of many years of good cooperation between the two countries in the field of defence and military affairs, based on agreements concluded between the two governments and the Ministries of Defence of both countries.