The Ministry of Defence announced Tuesday that work is underway on a project designed to revive the country’s dormant military industry by making a number of communist-era military production plants.

Defence Minister Pirro Vengu inspected the military mechanical plant in the central Albanian town of Gramsh, accompanied by the Deputy Defence Minister Dorian Tola, and the Mayor of Gramsh Besion Ajazi, to assess the current state of the site and its advantages in terms of human resources and its infrastructure.

The communist-era site was once the main weapon production site, while its activity kept reducing after the ‘90s, focusing on disposal of light weapons only.

Rebuilding the country’s military industry will require an integrated and coordinated approach to address not only technological and operational aspects, but also legal, financial, economic, social and environmental issues.

This process aims to promote innovation and technological development in defence industry through a close cooperation with the private sector, as Albania is seeking to strengthen its strategic position in the region, becoming a more important defence and security player, in full compliance with the North Atlantic Alliance goals.

The Arms Production Law entered into force earlier this month and it will regulate the industry for the production, research and development of weapons, ammunition, equipment and military technologies, as well as their trade.

The government aims to revive the weapon production plants by partnering with foreign investors through public-private ventures.

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