The production of ammunition and the development of the military industry require the amendment of a number of laws and the observance of international standards to ensure transparency and avoid possible misuse, experts in the field of security have said. Former leaders of security institutions have said that the efforts for Kosovo to have its own military industry started in 2013-2014
The creation of Kosovo’s military industry, which Prime Minister Albin Kurti announced on Wednesday, is seen as necessary in the context of internal and global developments. Bejtush Gashi, former Deputy Minister of the Security Force and former Minister of the Interior, said that the efforts to create a military industry, from which other sectors would also benefit, started in 2013, but have not been carried out until in the end. He qualified the Government’s announcement for the creation of this industry as a necessary step, but added that issuing the decision on the anniversary of the establishment of the Kosovo Security Force (FSK) and on the eve of the February 9 elections may have been made for purposes electoral.
Although Kosovo’s institutions have long considered the feasibility of creating a military industry, Gashi has said that there remain legislative gaps that must first be addressed. In addition to the basic law for the KSF, he said that other laws should be changed, which currently refer only to the import of weapons that Kosovo does and not to the export, which is intended in the future.
“Such efforts and the measurement of feasibility have also started in the previous years from 2013-2014. At the same time, conclusions were drawn that security institutions, namely the Government of Kosovo should have a factory, which would fulfill the requirements and needs that this sector has. However, these efforts and goals must fulfill a necessary vacuum, which is related to the approval of the relevant laws, which will enable the establishment of a military industry”, said Gashi.
According to him, in addition to changing the local legislation, adaptation to international acts is also needed.
“There are also international acts that should be analyzed and there should be international cooperation due to the fact that the production of armaments or the armaments industry has a direct impact in the international aspect as well, that the country that produces, namely invests in the military industry, must meet the standards and international acts that regulate this field. If there is no international control and monitoring, it can have negative effects not only for the country that produces it, but also for the region as a whole”, said Gashi.
A military industry, according to Gashi, would bring multiple benefits to Kosovo. “In the first place, it meets the requirements of the security institutions, in the second place, it creates opportunities for Kosovo to export ammunition, and in the third place, it affects the creation of new jobs and the introduction of the institutions of this industry into the market international. So the benefit is multiple, however until the full realization of this project, of course, time will be needed and this decision cannot be realized in a very quick period”, he emphasized.
After the meeting of the Government on Wednesday, the Minister of Defense, Ejup Makedonci, said that the decision was preceded by consultations and the assistance provided by the state of Turkey in carrying out the feasibility. He emphasized that the action was coordinated with Kosovo’s main strategic ally in building military capacities – the United States of America (USA).
But the Government has not announced the cost of opening the two industries and the type of ammunition that will be produced. “The focus is initially the production of basic ammunition and for this we are now at the stage when detailed discussions begin, including the price and the products we plan to produce in the Republic of Kosovo”, said Ejupi.
Along with Kosovo, for which it made the feasibility, the possibility of producing ammunition and designing drones, Turkey also cooperates with Serbia in the military aspect. During a visit to Serbia last month, the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, have warned that their countries may join forces in the production of military drones, a few months after the delivery of Turkish weapons to Kosovo has provoked a reaction in the capital of Serbia.
While Serbia had previously mentioned plans to buy Turkish military drones “Bayraktar”, in 2023 it has abandoned the plan, as Turkey has supplied Kosovo with drones. Kosovo has confirmed that five drones from Turkey would strengthen the capacities for protection against possible attacks from Serbia. The President of Serbia, Vucic, said last year that the supply of drones to Kosovo “is neither easy nor good news for Serbia and will affect relations with Turkey”. He stated that Serbia will ask to buy drones from another country.
But the president of Serbia changed his position on October 11, when he received the Turkish president Erdogan in Belgrade. “Turkey’s military industry is significantly more powerful than ours,” Vuçiqi said at the joint press conference with Erdogan.
Asked if the cooperation in the military industry would also include the production of “Bayraktar” drones, Erdogan said that “Serbia has certain capacities, we have others and, as friendly countries, we can develop the capacities together”.Even during his visit to Albania, Erdogan also warned that he will donate some drones to the state “so that no one dares to attack it”. Another country in the region, Bosnia-Herzegovina, has expressed a desire to purchase similar drones, while Romania, which is part of NATO, has already included such drones in its inventory.
Demands for the production of weapons and ammunition have increased after Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in February 2022. Even NATO has requested an increase in the production of weapons.
The admiral of the NATO Military Committee, Rob Bauer, said that because of the war in Ukraine, ammunition is “coming to an end”. NATO has been pressing for a boost in defense production to meet growing demands for weapons and military equipment since the start of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. This is because allied countries are not only rushing to supply Kiev, but are also looking to fill their warehouses. The NATO official had warned that a drastic increase in the price of munitions meant that higher defense spending by allied countries did not automatically translate into greater security. He has called for more private investment in defense companies.
