The army and the Ministry of Military Production are preparing for Egypt's first ever international military and defence industries fair. The Egyptian Defence Exhibition (EDEX) 2018 will be held from 3 to 5 December 2018 at the International Convention and Expo Centre in Cairo and will feature displays from international and regional producers of armaments, defence and security systems. EDEX 2018 will serve as a meeting place for the representatives of defence industries from around the world and will be the first event of its kind in Africa. In addition to exhibitions of the latest military hardware and technology it will showcase companies belonging to the Ministry of Military Production, the Arab Industrial Organisation and weapons systems produced by the Armed Forces. The expo is being organised in collaboration with Clarion Events, one of the world's leading organisers of military and defence fairs. More than 300 participants will present displays of defence and security systems products and more than 10,000 people are expected to visit the three-day event. Conferences and programmes for senior military figures will be held on the sidelines. Egypt's political leadership attaches great importance to the event and is lending its fullest support, says Minister of State for Military Production General Mohamed Al-Assar. It is planned to hold EDEX every two years, offering an opportunity for Egypt and other Arab and African countries to display the products of their defence industries alongside leading international armament producers. The event will provide a gateway to regional and international markets as well as a regional and international meeting point for the exchange of opinions and expertise. “Egypt's unique geo-strategic location means EDEX will herald a qualitative shift for regional states and neighbouring countries,” says Major General Tarek Saad Zaghloul, director of the Armed Forces Armaments Authority. “It will profile the latest in international weapons technologies and products related to the defence industries with all their sophisticated scientific and high-tech capacities.” Egypt's ongoing diversification of its arms supplies have helped make it possible for the event to feature the latest products of major military and defence firms from around the world, says Zaghloul. He stressed that defence industries are an important engine of economic growth, especially given the expansion of the international arms markets. They drive research and development efforts that serve the civilian as well as the defence sectors. “It is important to disseminate the concept of effective positive partnership between Egyptian companies and their international counterparts engaged in the manufacture of diverse defence systems, and to develop ways to work together and broaden cooperation with foreign partners at all levels, regionally and internationally, in the framework of strategies that observe the principle of legitimate and mutual rights,” said Zaghloul.
