The Lithuanian government plans to sign two agreements with the Rheinmetall company on Friday, one related to the leasing of land for a factory which the German defence industry giant is planning to build in the northern district of Radviliskis. The other covers the purchase of 155mm ammunition.
The signing ceremony will be attended by Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte, Economy and Innovation Minister Ausrine Armonaite, Defence Minister Laurynas Kasciunas, and the CEO of Rheinmetall Defence Lietuva, Roman Koehne, the Ministry for Economics and Innovation announced on Thursday.
Kasciunas said earlier in November that one issue during negotiations with Rheinmetall was standardisation and integration of products that are to be manufactured at the new factory in Lithuania.
In mid-November, Lithuania’s government gave thumbs up to the purchase of 155mm artillery shells for the German-made PzH 2000 and the French-made Caesar self-propelled howitzers for the Lithuanian Armed Fores. The deal with Rheinmetall would not involve public procurement procedures, and Kasciunas has said that that was one of the key conditions in the agreement with the German enterprise.
The German defence company plans to invest more than EUR 180 million in the factory where 155mm artillery ammunition will be manufactured. At least 150 new jobs are expected to be created as part of this process.
Source: BNS
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