APS : Monday 25 March 2019
ALGIERS-Secretary General of the National Defence Ministry, Major General Abdelhamid Ghriss and Italy’s Defence Ministry Secretary General, National Armaments Director, Nicolo Falsaperna on
Monday sealed an agreement on the creation of an Algerian-Italian company named “Leonardo Hélicoptères-SPA/Algérie.”
“The company is the fruit of a partnership between the Aeronautical Industry Development Corporation (EDIA) under the Directorate of Military the Military Manufacturing Department of the National Defence Ministry and LEONARDO-INTERNATIONAL and LEONARDO Hélicoptères Companies. The project is also part of the implementation of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on industrial and trade partnership, sealed on 11 August 2016, which relates to the manufacture of Agusta-Westland helicopters in Ain Arnat (Setif),” said the source.
It should be noted that this company “is dedicated to the manufacture of light and medium helicopters used for many purposes, including the transport of personnel and cargo, medical evacuation, surveillance and control, in accordance with a plan that includes export abroad.”
The company “will benefit from a local and international distribution network and after-sales service including all repair and after-sales service levels, in addition to a training and qualification system.”
Major General Abdelhamid Ghriss, on this occasion, emphasized the “excellence” of Algerian-Italian relations based on “mutual trust, as well as the willingness of each party to further strengthen this cooperation, particularly in terms of technology transfer, know-how and co-development.”
Lieutenant General Nicolo Falsaperna welcomed the creation of this company, expressing his wish to see the cooperation between Algeria and Italia further strengthened.
This partnership marks a “significant” moment in bilateral relations, said Lieutenant General Falsaperna expressing his “conviction” that this partnership will pave the way for “other successful initiatives.”
The company “will employ 300 highly qualified workers and will manufacture 100 aircraft over the next 10 years, some of which will be exported,” said General Belhadj Mouloud, Director General of the Aeronautics Industry Development Corporation (EDIA).
