Croatian HS Produkt company expects the aid of the PM
Technical PM Tihomir Orešković said on Monday, after touring the Karlovac-based weapons factory HS Produkt, that he plans to use his contacts to help the Croatian assault rifle to win an international weapons tender for the French army, Jutarnji List wrote on July 18, 2016.
Reminding that he participated at the end of May at the Entrepreneur Council France-Croatia, Orešković said he sued the opportunity to communicate with the French PM and others, as HS Produkt is competing to supply a hundred thousand rifles for the French army and police.
“The small country of Croatia is competing with global producers. I am excited over what I saw,” said Orešković after touring the production plant in Karlovac. “We can compete with the famous Sig Sauer or Italian Beretta, and I believe we have surpassed them in technology, investment, vision and what’s most important - science,” added Orešković.
Director of HS Produkt Željko Pavlin rated the visit by the PM as very important as this is a strategic production where politics always matter, especially since Croatia is in NATO. “Weapons are a strategic thing and when a country decides to use our weapons they want to know if we have the support of our state and politics,” Pavlin said.
On the French army tender Pavlin said the deal is worth 300 million Euro and includes rifles, mortars, ammunition, grenades and additional equipment. The decision will be made by the end of this year.
“We’re hoping for a positive result. Along with price and quality, politics will be decisive and we still have to see what our chances there are. But we believe we can succeed, or we wouldn’t compete,” Pavlin concluded.
Asked about an announced ammunition factory construction in Karlovac, Pavlin answered this investment should go with state support. “Not many countries have their own ammunition production and in all such factories the state is involved, either as a buyer or as an investor. Potential foreign investors have come forward, but we cannot enter such a deal lightly,” Pavlin detailed.
