EconMin Popescu:We truly want that Romanian defence industry be more involved in endowing the Army.

The Government wants for the Romanian defence industry to be involved as much as possible in endowing the Army, so that a higher percentage of the funds earmarked to Defence can go to the relevant domestic industry, Economy Minister Virgil Popescu has stated on Friday.

"Ever since November, since we took power, we have decided, together with Prime Minister and the Defence Minister, that the Romanian defence industry, whether it is state-owned or private, should be involved in the endowment process of the Army and as much of that 2 percent of the GDP should go to Romanian defence industry," Popescu argued, at the end of a visit paid at the Weapons Factory and the Mechanical Plant in Cugir alongside PM Ludovic Orban and several ministers.

He mentioned that, together with National Defence Minister Nicolae Ciuca, he will continue to carry out "more applied" discussions with the management of the two plants.

"I was at the Craiova Airplane Plant, we will go to other plants. (...) We truly want that the Romanian defence industry be involved as much as possible in endowing the Army. You will see that the defence industry will get moving, that the Romanian defence industry will change its face and start producing at the technological level which the Romanian Army needs," the Economy Minister said.