Serbia has agreed to produce drones on its territory with Israeli military giant Elbit Systems, the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) portal announced today.
As stated, this is a company that has been the target of criticism for years due to its role in Israeli military operations in Gaza and the West Bank.
BIRN recalled that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced a month ago that the first "serious drone" factory in Serbia with a foreign partner would soon be opened.
According to the same source, Elbit will have 51 percent ownership in the drone factory, while the domestic company Jugoimport SDPR will have 49 percent.
The plan is reportedly to produce two types of drones, for near and far missions, and the factory should be located in Šimanovci, a space that will be leased from Pink's owner Željko Mitrović.
BIRN recalls that Israel and Serbia already have developed cooperation in the field of weapons.
"The value of ammunition and weapons exports from Serbia to Israel has increased by as much as 42 times since 2023 and reached 114 million euros at the end of last year, despite numerous appeals from United Nations experts to suspend the sale of military equipment to Israel. Most of these exports were carried out through the SDPR company," it added.
"Pink Media Group" announced that the information provided is completely incorrect.
"Željko Mitrović and 'Pink Media Group' have nothing to do with this project. He did not participate, nor does he participate, in any discussions, negotiations, agreements or arrangements regarding the aforementioned drone factory. Also, no legal entity associated with Mr. Mitrović conducted negotiations, concluded any arrangement, or offered, designated or leased any facility for the needs of this project. By publishing such false information, the public was misled, and the company 'Pink Media Group' and Mr. Mitrović were caused reputational and business damage," Pink Media Group writes in its denial.
Note: A denial from Pink Media Group was subsequently added to the text.
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