Minister of Defence Dragan Sutanovac, who is heading a Serbian delegation to the International Defence Industry Fair “IDEF 2011“ in Istanbul, said that Serbia is recognised as a country with great potential in the defence industry.

Sutanovac told Tanjug news agency that he hopes Serbia will demonstrate at the fair that it has significant capacity to continue exporting weaponry and equipment, adding that the military industry is currently one of the most lucrative branches.

The fair was an opportunity to talk with representatives from defence ministries of other counters, Sutanovac added.

At a meeting with Turkish Defence Minister Mehmet Vecdi Gonul, we discussed the continuation of bilateral military cooperation, with an emphasis on schooling and education, he observed.

We voiced mutual interest in joint development projects and affirmed mutual pleasure with the cooperation so far, bearing in mind that the Military Technical Institute in Belgrade has already been providing certain commercial services to Turkish air industry.

During a meeting with Bulgarian Minister of Defence Anu Angelov agreement was reached on continuing cooperation and joint shooting trainings of Serbian and Bulgarian anti-aircraft units.

Sutanovac also met with his Somali counterpart and they voiced their wish to cooperate in military education, as well as discussed possibilities for military economic cooperation.

The Serbian delegation also met with representatives from the Egyptian and South African defence ministries.