01.12.2010.

Ministers Sutanovac and Dinkic visit Utva in Pancevo

Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac and Minister of Economy and Regional Development Mladjan Dinkic visited today the company "Utva" in Pancevo. After talks with the management company, the ministers and his associates visited the production facilities and factories.

- Today this is a project that lives and that is the most complex technological export product of our country, "said Sutanovac recalling that in 2008 , after two failed attempts toplace the company on a public bid, a serious plan for the reconstruction of "Utva" was made, which was opened up for export to Iraqi as well as domestic market.

- In addition to 20 aircrafts purchased by the Iraqi Air Force, the Department of Defense will buy another 15 aircraft, thus ensuring continued cooperation between the ministry and Pancevo-based factory Utva, said the minister of defense. He said he believed that in addition to the aircrafts, the company has the capacity to manufacture other products as well, indicating that significant efforts have been invested for the employees to have jobs for many years to come. Until a few years ago, the age structure of employees, as was pointed out, was very unforable, as illustrated by the data of 170 employees, 80 percent of whom were older than 45 years. Today, the employment of youth, the age structure is significantly improved.

Restoration of the halls that were destroyed during the bombing in 1999, according to Minister Šutanovac, in Utva is one of the best examples of restructuring in the previous period. Minister on this occasion highlighted the cooperation with local government, which has debts of Pancevo aircraft factory turned into state debts. On the other hand, as was pointed out, the Ministry of Defense and the Army of Serbia shall have an agreement with the city of Pancevo in connection with the construction of infrastructure to be constructed in the barracks in that city and that will help its development.

Mladjan Dinkic Minister expressed his satisfaction with results achieved in the reconstruction of the factory "Utva".

The cooperation of the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Economy, with the help of companies SDPR restored the manufacturing plant that in 2008 was in a disastrous state. The factory has since hired another 180 people, so it is presently employing over 380 people. The contracts are signed are our priority. The planes are manufactured, sold and we have a good foreign exchange income from the sale of high quality end products. Serbia does not have a lot of finished products already ready for export, because I think this is something that still needs to be done. I thank Minister Sutanovac for helping the defense industry comes to life again and beginning to reach the glory it had in former Yugoslavia - said the minister.

The Minister of Economy and Regional Development Mladjan Dinkic has said that Serbia will this year alone have 200 million EUR in exports earnings from many contracts.

- The Ministry of Economy will support the defense industry in the future. The latest data show the total increase of 21% in the last period. September and October exports figures are now finally higher than in the previous period. We have succeeded after a big drop from last year all fees. It is important that the factory which has signed the contracts by 2013 will continue to modernize, while we will do our best to find work related to the civilian sector, while Minister Sutanovac will find work related to military industry – as was underlined by Minister Dinkic.