BEIRUT, LEBANON (11:30 A.M.) – Serbia has bought a new generation of medium-range surface-to-air missiles from China, in the first known purchase in Europe for “FK-3” defensive missiles, according to Reuters.
The purchase of the FK-3 defense system was included in the annual report of the state-run arms company Yugoimport SDPR, which was submitted last week to the State Commercial Records Agency.
The company, Yugoimport SDPR, revealed that it had concluded 163 import deals with 31 countries for $620.3 million in 2019, and the arms purchase deals included armed drones from China and the first known purchase in Europe for FK-3 defensive missiles.
The company added that “the major part of the import operations relates to the modernization of its MiG-29 aircraft and the possession of drones, and the FK-3 air defense system.
Beijing and Serbia are part of the “Belt and Road” initiative, which aims to extend new foreign trade ties to Chinese companies, and has invested billions of euros in this country located in the Balkans, especially in soft loans, infrastructure and energy projects, and this deal is a new sign of increasing cooperation between Beijing and Belgrade.
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