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ABU DHABI (AFP) — Russian troops appeared at an arms exhibition in the United Arab Emirates on Monday, displaying combat-tested weapons for export, including rifles and anti-aircraft systems.
At a separate pavilion at the Abu Dhabi International Defense Exhibition (IDEX), Moscow-based state arms exporter Rosoboronexport said it had more than 200 full-scale models of weapons, ammunition and military equipment.
Russian armored vehicles, attack helicopters and anti-aircraft missile systems were also on display at IDEX, which opened Monday, as tough Western sanctions forced President Vladimir Putin to seek new markets for arms exports.
The UAE remains neutral as Russia’s war in Ukraine approaches its one-year anniversary.
The oil-rich Gulf state has also become a destination of choice for wealthy Russian immigrants fleeing the fallout from Western sanctions.
Russia is one of 65 countries participating in the biennial arms show in the UAE capital, which runs until this weekend and is considered the largest in the region.
Sanctioned Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov visited IDEX on Monday, Russian state news agency TASS reported.
“In terms of trade with the Russian Federation, the UAE maintains first place among the countries of the Arab world,” TASS quoted him as saying.
“In 2022, trade between Russia and the UAE will increase by 68% to $9 billion,” he said.
Russia is the world’s second-largest arms exporter after the United States, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
In a statement ahead of IDEX, Rosoboronexport head Alexander Mikheev called the Middle Eastern country an “important partner” and said his company was “working on proposals … interest of”.
Rosoboronexport is preparing to supply reconnaissance and strike drones to foreign partners, he told TASS at IDEX on Monday.
cooperation with israel
Besides Russia, Israel is also making waves at the Naval Defense and Maritime Security Exhibition (NAVDEX), which opened in conjunction with IDEX.
The UAE and Israel have unveiled their first jointly-manufactured unmanned vessel off the coast of Abu Dhabi.
Featuring advanced sensors and imaging systems for surveillance, reconnaissance and detection of landmines, the vehicle was built by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and the UAE defense consortium EDGE.
Orengut, a former navy captain who led the IAI’s naval program, said the joint project would counter “threats in the region,” but it was also aimed at deploying ships abroad.
The UAE and Israel have steadily deepened their military partnership, including defense procurement, since normalizing relations in 2020 as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords.
In January 2022, Israeli defense electronics company Elbit Systems said its subsidiary in the UAE was awarded a contract worth approximately $53 million to supply systems to the UAE Air Force.
Emirati and Israeli defense companies are also working to develop autonomous counter-drone systems.
Torbjorn Soltvedt of risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft said countering maritime threats from Iran was “a natural area” of focus for the UAE-Israel partnership.
“Responding to the growing threat to shipping in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman will be a priority, as both Israeli and UAE ships are being targeted by Iranian-backed drone and missile attacks,” Saltvetter told AFP.
Israel accused Iran of attacking an Israel-linked oil tanker off the coast of Oman on Sunday, causing minor damage. This is the second such allegation this year.
© 2023 AFP
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