His Excellency Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Bawardi, Minister of State for Defence Affairs, said that the prestigious position that the UAE has achieved today worldwide and the role it plays in supporting the defence industry sector locally, regionally, and internationally have made it a niche for minds, defence specialists and experts, and military leaders.
In his message delivered through Aljundi Journal on the occasion of launching the 15th Exhibition of IDEX and the 6th exhibition of NAVDEX 2021, His Excellency Al bawardi added that the defence exhibitions contribute to bolstering national economic development and supporting defence industries. H.H added that the ongoing participation of many countries in this exhibition for a quarter of a century confirms their interest in establishing a close cooperation with the United Arab Emirates.
The following is the content of his message:
“Under the auspicious patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE “may God protect him”, we witness the opening of the 15th International Defence Exhibition and Conference “IDEX”, and the 6th Naval Defence Exhibition “NAVDEX 2021” at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center in addition to the accompanying international defence conference at a time the international community is witnessing exceptional global conditions due to the spread of Covid- 19 pandemic, as governments’ efforts are focused on managing the crisis , preventing the spread of the virus, and addressing its repercussions.
With the support of Allah and the directives of our wise leadership, UAE has been able to overcome such challenges and to harness all modern technological capabilities and means to efficiently manage the national competencies and to apply the highest global health and safety standards to ensure the health, security, and safety of the society.
Meanwhile, the launch of IDEX and its accompanying events confirms the UAE’s resilience and confidence in its procedures and capabilities to confront the pandemic with high efficiency and maintain business continuity which reflects the advanced level it has achieved in various fields.
Our wise leadership’s focus on creating a knowledge-and-cutting-edge-based national economic strategy to promote industries and to host specialized international exhibitions have helped UAE in competing with major global economies. The UAE plays a global leadership role in making the economic leap adapt to the circumstances and repercussions of the pandemic.
Furthermore, the UAE’s role aims to mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic on global economy by consolidating international cooperation through following new approaches and striking a balance between confronting the pandemic and the ability to move forward the wheel of the economy.
On the other hand, the strategic trend that aims to diversify the GDP, to ensure economy diversification, and the continuous development of IDEX every year is the outcome of joint collaboration among many national strategic sectors.
The UAE Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces are keen to continue developing the exhibition in line with the technological and global development in the defence and military systems and equipment, as part of their focus on developing an advancing an economic and industrial strategy while keeping an eye on forecasting the future. All these efforts have consolidated the UAE’s prestigious global economic position, and contributed to its progress and leadership in many fields.
The prestigious position that the UAE has achieved today worldwide and its role in supporting the defence industry sector locally, regionally, and internationally has made it a niche for minds, defence specialists and experts, and military leaders, as the defence exhibition sector contributes to advancing national economic development and supporting industries. Moreover, the participation of many countries of the world in the exhibition for a quarter of a century confirms their interest in establishing a close cooperation with UAE.
Many countries of the world display their military products and industries in an acclaimed global gathering that hosts the largest international companies specializing in the manufacture of vehicles, technologies and modern military systems, where companies specializing in the defence and security sectors compete to display their latest products. The exhibition is an opportunity to analyze and discuss the most important issues, challenges, and trends in technology, AI, and technologies of the 4IR .The exhibition also contributes to firming the global security and stability efforts in addition to building a system of international cooperation to ensure the continuity of this critical sector despite global challenges and international changes that the whole world is witnessing today.
With the launch of IDEX and NAVDEX 2021, I am pleased to welcome all participants and the distinguished guests to their second home the UAE the home of peace, coexistence, tolerance and security, and my best wishes to the participants and visitors, hoping that they will achieve every success and enjoy watching the various military demonstrations, wishing everyone a pleasant stay in the UAE. Finally, in light of the interest and follow-up of our wise leadership, may God protect it; I’d like to thank the organizers of the exhibition.