November 21 (SeeNews) - Croatia's economy ministry said that it has signed a memorandum of understanding for a possible strategic cooperation with Norway's Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and Kongsberg Aviation Maintenance Services, as well as Finland's Patria.
The agreement is aimed at meeting the needs of Croatia's military and civil aviation and creating a regional technological hub on the country's territory, the economy ministry said in a press release.
Croatia hopes to turn its state-owned aircraft maintenance company Zrakoplovno-Tehnicki Centar (ZTC), which oversees the maintenance, overhaul and repairs of aircraft operated by the nation's armed and police forces, into a new regional logistics hub, economy minister Darko Horvat said in the press release.
"I believe that once all needed documentation is provided, at the beginning of next year we could launch the transformation of ZTC into a new logistics hub that will operate as a regional centre - a facility that does not exist in our region," Horvat said.
The memorandum of understanding is the first step towards possible cooperation between the signing parties, while the signing of a strategic economic partnership agreement planned for the near future, the ministry said.
Kongsberg is an international technology group providing high-technology systems and solutions to a variety of industries, including defence, aerospace, renewables, merchant marine, and offshore oil and gas.
Patria is an international provider of defence, security and aviation life cycle support services and equipment, pilot training and technology solutions. It has several locations including Finland, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Estonia and Spain. Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, part of Kongsberg Group, owns 49.9% of Patria, while the remaining 50.1% belong to the Finnish state.
Croatian media reported earlier this year that Patria is interested in setting up a plant for maintenance, overhaul and repair of airplanes and helicopters at the ZTC's base in Velika Gorica, near Zagreb.