Turkey to host international defense fair
Some of the companies that will present weapons at the fair are from countries Turkey has difficult relations with.
Turkey will host a major defense industry fair next week.
The International Defense Industry Fair 2021 will run from Aug. 17-20 in Istanbul under the auspices of the Turkish Presidency and Turkish National Defense Ministry, the official Anadolu Agency reported Wednesday.
Numerous companies will display various types of defense equipment, including drones, air defense systems, naval vehicles, missiles and more, according to the official list of exhibitors. Official delegations from foreign governments, defense companies and Turkish military procurement can all meet with each other at the fair, according to the official website.
The participating companies come from several countries, including some Turkey does not have good relations with such as the United Arab Emirates, Israel and France. Turkey and the UAE were on opposite sides of the Libyan civil war that ended last year. Turkish-Israeli relations have been strained for years. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also had a public rift with France last year.
