Croatian arms, ammunition and military equipment factories showcased their products at a presentation in Sarajevo on Tuesday intended for potential buyers in Bosnia and Herzegovina and foreign diplomats accredited in that country.

Croatian assistant defence minister Roman Mikulic said that the Croatian defence production had reached about €200 million annually and that it employed about 3,000 people. He expressed satisfaction that the HS Produkt company was successful in demanding markets such as the United States where more than 5 million HS semi-automatic pistols have been sold to date.

“I can proudly say that our companies have become global bywords for innovation and quality. The Croatian defence industry still has a lot of room for advancement and development,” Mikulic said during the presentation, organised in cooperation with the Defence Ministry of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He said that Bosnian companies such as Igman, Pretis and Pobjeda had for years been manufacturing infantry and artillery ammunition for the Croatian army. To date, Croatia has imported HRK 68 million (€9.2 million) worth of ammunition manufactured by these factories, and over HRK 11 million (€1.5 million) this year alone.

Croatia's ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ivan Sabolic, said that the Croatian defence industry was one of the drivers of the national economy.

“Croatian defence industry products are already used by the IT sector and the food and pharmaceutical industries. This exhibition is a good opportunity for defence companies from the Federation and Republika Srpska and their colleagues from Croatia to find models for even better business results,” Sabolic said.