Thewesternbalkans
On September 9 the Parliament of Montenegro approved an agreement between the governments of Montenegro and France on defense cooperation for the acquisition of two French-made patrol vessels.
The agreement was supported by 43 out of 81 MPs, and the debate in was attended by the Minister of Defense of Montenegro, Dragan Krapović.
According to Krapović, a working group of representatives of the ministries of finance and defense, after researching the market and holding talks with companies from which the patrol vessels can potentially be purchased, has found that the offer of the company “Kership” best meets the requirements of the Ministry of Defense.
The deal will not exceed 120 million euro and France will be the mediator between Montenegro and the shipyard company, Minister Krapović said.
Comment: Тhe approval of the agreement for the acquisition of the patrol vessels is a result of the signed earlier this year bilateral agreement on defense cooperation between Montenegro and France. During his working visit to France, in the beginning of April, Minister Krapović, has also visited the Kership shipyard in Lorient, where he has discussed the dynamics of vessel construction possible arrangements for future cooperation.
The deal can be defined as a success for both parties. The purchase of the new patrol ships from Montenegro will allow the country to achieve its plans for strengthening the capabilities and modernization of the Montenegrin Navy as the vessels that has at present were mainly built in the ’80s. In this way, the country will also fulfill its commitment to NATO, announced at the beginning of the year, to allocate 2,02 % of GDP for the defense.
As for France, this will help the country in achieving its ambition to become a major supplier of military equipment to the countries of Eastern Europe.
Foto: Firestorm250
