The Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX) is different from other military exhibitions because it specialises in the maritime domain, Chairman of DIMDEX, Staff Brigadier (Sea) Abdulbaqi Saleh Al Ansari, has said.
DIMDEX 2022, ‘Connecting the World’s Maritime Defence and Security Community,’ will kick off today until March 23 at the Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC). Speaking at a press conference ahead of the biennial exhibition, Al Ansari stressed that this year’s event – the first after four years and the seventh edition, will showcase the latest in maritime equipment, technology and combat systems with 46 national companies set to participate.
“DIMDEX is different from other regional exhibitions of this nature because we are focused on maritime and technologies associated with it. This industry is getting a lot of attention, especially in this region. We are also not thinking about expanding to cover the whole military sphere,” Al Ansari said.
“The previous exhibition was in 2018, and we had to postpone due to COVID-19. Many new technologies have been developed in that time, and I’m sure visitors are looking forward to this edition and the latest equipment and tools on offer.”
Al Ansari noted that technologies like unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the latest in radar technology, electronic warfare, and combat systems would be on display. Besides, 200 defence manufacturers with 53 participating countries will participate in the exhibition, hosting warships from eight countries.
Meanwhile, 1st Lieutenant Khalifa Asheer, VIP Delegation and Protocol Officer, added that five defence ministers from the Dominican Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Somalia, Azerbaijan and Iraq would attend the exhibition.
Dr. Andreas Kreug, Middle East Naval Commander’s Conference (MENC) Director, noted the participation of the Commander of the US Fifth Fleet further shows the importance of the Qatar-US relationship, which marked the 50 years milestone recently. Dr. Kreug also disclosed that a conference titled ‘Resilience in the Maritime Domain’ would be hosted, which will discuss the security resilience in the region and the challenges.
“We’ll have some leading experts from the academic area but also leading practitioners in this field. Despite everything going on, the Commander of the US fifth fleet will be present at DIMDEX. He will present on the issue of resilience in the maritime of the Arabian Gulf. Representatives from Japan, senior commanders from India and a range of experts, will talk about various operational and strategic issues on the major challenges to maritime security and linking maritime security to overall resilience in this part of the world,” Dr. Kreug said.
“Against the backdrop of 50 years of Qatari-American relations, I think this is a very great platform to allow one of the most senior commanders of the US in the Middle East to talk about what security means for the US in this part of the world and underline the importance of Qatar as a key partner for the US.
“It also shows Qatar’s strategic relations with countries such as Japan and India.”
DIMDEX provides the opportunity for exhibitors to showcase their latest, state-of-the-art technologies and products to industry personnel to initiate significant deals and partnerships. Several Memorandums of Understandings (MoUs) and agreements are expected to be signed at the exhibition.
Source: The Peninsula