A Serbian delegation, including Defence Minister Dragan Šutanovac and Economy Minister Mlađan Dinkić, are having talks in Algeria on contracts in specialized industry, worth hundreds of millions of EUR. This Contract by far exceeds the value of such business with Iraq, as BLIC unofficially learns. At issue is the largest sum of money ever realized in this sector.

The contracts mostly refer to technology transfer and export of our knowledge, on construction and civil engineering and equipment and armanent installments. It has become clear now that the Algerian Defence Ministry will be Serbia’s top partner. The deals will require new employment in the defence industry, Minister Šutanovac told BLIC.

For a professional Serbian Army it is not necessary to set aside more money than for the regular military service, as a professional soldier stands for two soldiers undergoing military service, DANAS learns from the Defence Ministry.

The working team that discussed the project of Serbian Army professionalization concluded that the costs of training of a professional soldier are initially higher, but are considerably reduced in two to three months. The last generation to serve military service will be the December class, so the professionalization process will be completed in 2011.