Turkey occupies biggest area at IDEX 2007 exhibition

Abu Dhabi: Turkey is occupying 2,000 square metres of exhibiting space at Idex 2007, to rank first in terms of area, as the country seeks establishing joint ventures with regional players according to senior officials.

"This is our third participation in Idex, first in 2001 we had 14 companies represented, in 2005 we had 22 companies, and this year there are 42 companies, which is a substantial increase," Asuman Vangolu, director of bilateral cooperation at the Turkish Ministry of National Defence, told Gulf News.

Turkey is seeking to establish joint ventures with regional players by expanding its presence rather than increasing exports.

"We became more capable and stronger in many fields including software for land systems, air systems, logistics, as well as armoured vehicles," explained Mahmut Sener, and expert at the Turkish Ministry of Defence.

The country which developed its capabilities through acquiring the technology and knowhow from Europe requires know authorisation or licensing to get into joint ventures according to the officials.

"We have plans to announce several projects, of which one is very unique in the region, but it maybe announced after Idex is over," Vangolu said.

With the Turkish Minister of Defence, and senior military officials present in the show, with a good record of cooperation with the UAE, the country is seeking to further streng-then its presence in the region.

"Turkish companies have a good relationship with the UAE government, and there are several new projects that are currently under discussion, as we seek more cooperation in the future," Vangolu added.

The Middle East, together with central Asia and the Far East represent the most important regions for the Turkish Defence industry according to the officials.

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