tností - IDEB – MEDZINÁRODNÝ VEĽTRH OBRANNEJ TECHNIKY ...

therefore logical for us to adopt the mechanism
of joint purchases, which may be implemented
through public procurement, when
purchases are made by at least two NATO
member states. In this way we could capitalize
on our experience with the military equipment
manufactured by our countries, seek
joint modernization projects, and, above all,
pursue development activities with a desirable
impact upon our common market.
At the January meeting in Prague we discussed
particular projects that we intend to
submit to both respective defence ministries,
and we will do our best to win the support of
the ministries for them. Besides our ongoing
work on concrete projects, we are increasingly
devoting time to coordinating our activities
vis-à-vis international organizations, for example,
we deem the issue of transit licences
for our countries very important and therefore
we are proceeding jointly in this field. In addition
to the defence industry, both associations
also cover the security industry sector, so the
scope of cooperation has doubled.
The Slovak Security and Defence Industry
Association is one of the organizers of NATO´s
Industry Days, which will be held during the
IDEB 2012 Defence Industry Trade Fair. What
are your expectations for this event?
Slovakia is too small, which makes it impossible
for our defence and security equipment
producers to concentrate solely on the Slovak
Armed Forces and the Police Corps. From my
point of view, one of the decisive tasks of
the Association is, therefore, to support our
members’ participation in international cooperation
and in projects organized by international
institutions, as well as to penetrate the
consumer market of third world countries.
That’s why NATO’s Industry Days, which will
be organized during IDEB, are viewed as a forum
where our members will be updated on
useful information.
The Industry Days were initiated by the
Permanent Delegation of the Slovak Republic
to NATO and will be co-organized by the
Slovak Association of Suppliers and Users of
Military Communications and Information
Systems (AFCEA), the Association of Security
and Defence Industry of the Slovak Republic
(ZBOP SR), the Ministry of Defence of the
Slovak Republic (SVK MOD) and Incheba
Expo. Moreover, at IDEB we will be hosting officials
from the NATO Maintenance and Supply
Agency (NAMSA), the NATO Consultation,
Command and Control Agency (NC3A), Allied
Command Operations (ACO), the NATO
Procurement and Supplies Service Unit (PSS),
and the European Defence Agency (EDA). This
strong team has a lot to say to our members.
On what aspects do you wish to focus the
presentation of the Slovak Security and
Defence Industry Association at IDEB 2012?
The promotion of the Association is a combination
of two components – the presentation
of the Association and the presentation
of our members. Traditionally, the Association
has been a meeting point where visitors
may get all the relevant information on our
Association. So we will be profiled as an association
mediating contacts on behalf of our
companies and as a partner for communication
with foreign partner organizations as well
as with the Slovak central government bodies.
Two years ago we signed a cooperation agreement
with the Ministry of Defence of the
Slovak Republic and this year we would like
to do the same with the Interior Ministry. So
our talks and actions at IDEB will be mainly
ROZHOVOR / INTERVIEW
focused on these two partners. At the same
time, we have paid a lot of attention to make
sure that the presentations of our members
are up to standard, to coordinate their activities,
and to use IDEB for sending a message
that the Slovak Security and Defence Industry
has a lot to offer.
Thank you for the interview!
Interviewed by Ján Begala
IDEB EXCLUSIVE 2012 13