Idex 2021: Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed meets foreign military officials

Representatives from the UK, Greece, Russia and Ethiopia attend first day of the International Defence Exhibition

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, meets Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, Defence Minister of Greece, at Idex. Courtesy: Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Twitter

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed meets Edward Lister, the British Prime Minister's special envoy for the Gulf, and Air Marshal Martin Sampson, defence senior military Adviser to the Middle East and North Africa at the British Ministry of Defence, at Idex. Courtesy: Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Twitter

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed meets Gen Birhanu Jula, chief of General Staff of Ethiopian National Defence Force, at Idex. Courtesy: Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Twitter

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed meets Denis Manturov, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, at Idex. Courtesy: Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Twitter

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and Khaldoon Mubarak, chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority and chief executive of Mubadala Investment Company, attend a meeting at Idex. Courtesy: Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Twitter

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed tours the 2021 International Defence Exhibition and Conference at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. Seen with Ramzan Kadyrov, President of Chechnya. Hamad Al Kaabi / Ministry of Presidential Affairs

Dignitaries stand during the UAE national anthem, during the opening ceremony of Idex at Adnec. Saleh Al Saeari / Ministry of Presidential Affairs

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed stands during the UAE national anthem, during the opening ceremony for Idex. Seen with Ramzan Kadyrov President of Chechnya. Mohamed Al Hammadi / Ministry of Presidential Affairs

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed attends the opening ceremony of Idex. Hamad Al Kaabi / Ministry of Presidential Affairs

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, met a number of top military officials while attending the first day of the International Defence Exhibition on Sunday.

Sheikh Mohamed met representatives from the UK, Greece, Russia and Ethiopia, and discussed ways to bolster ties between their countries and increase defence and military co-operation.

They spoke of Idex's importance in building regional and international defence partnerships and showcasing the latest defence technology, systems and services.

"It is a pleasure to announce the start of Idex 2021. Idex is an important defence platform shaping the global defence industry and also helping to forge new partnerships between countries," Sheikh Mohamed said.

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and a number of senior UAE officials attended the meetings.

The first day of the five-day exhibition, held at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, was deemed a success after the UAE Armed Forces awarded Dh5.03 billion ($1.37bn) in contracts.

The majority of the 19 deals signed by the Armed Forces went to local companies – who won contracts worth Dh3.9 billion ($1.06) – while seven contracts worth Dh1.1bn were awarded to international companies, Staff Brig Gen Mohammed Al Hassani, official spokesman for Idex and its sister event the Naval Defence and Maritime Security Exhibition, said.

With about 1,000 companies represented, Idex is the largest defence exhibition in the region and showcases the latest in military hardware.

It is also the first major in-person event to be held in Abu Dhabi since the pandemic broke out.

Rigorous safety measures are in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

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Idex 2021: day one in pictures