International Relations
NAVDEX 21 and IDEX 21: UAE
- 20 Feb 2021
- 4 min read
Why in News
Indian Naval Ship (INS) Pralaya arrived at Abu Dhabi, UAE to participate in the NAVDEX 21 (Naval Defence Exhibition) and IDEX 21 (International Defence Exhibition), scheduled from 20 to 25 February 2021.
- INS Mysore (an indigenously built guided missile destroyer deployed in the Persian Gulf) is also participating in the exhibition.
Key Points
- About NAVDEX 21 and IDEX 21:
- IDEX and NAVDEX, and the International Defence Conference are organised by the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC), in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense and the General Command of the UAE Armed Forces.
- IDEX/NAVDEX takes place biennially. The exhibitions showcase the latest technologies and innovation in the global defence sector, support the growth of UAE’s defence industry, and forge new relationships between major international companies.
- IDEX is the only international defence exhibition and conference in the MENA region demonstrating the latest technology across land, sea and air sectors of defence.
- MENA Region: MENA is an acronym for the Middle East and North Africa region and includes approximately 19 countries.
- The MENA region accounts for approximately 6% of the world's population, 60% of the world's oil reserves, and 45% of the world's natural gas reserves.
- Countries are Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
- MENA Region: MENA is an acronym for the Middle East and North Africa region and includes approximately 19 countries.
- INS Pralaya:
- INS Pralaya, a ship of the indigenously built Prabal Class Missile Vessels, was commissioned in the Indian Navy in 2002.
- The ship, built indigenously at Goa Shipyard Limited, bears testimony to capabilities of the Indian shipbuilding industry and is a versatile platform capable of performing a wide variety of surface warfare missions.
- India and UAE Defence Relations:
- Defence relations between India and UAE have been steadily growing since the upgradation of bilateral relations to a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ in 2017.
- Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi (capital of UAE), was a Chief Guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in 2017.
- Towards enhancing interactions between the two navies, the inaugural edition of Indian & UAE Navy bilateral exercise GULF STAR-1 was conducted in March 2018. The next edition of the exercise is likely to be conducted in 2021.
- Defence relations between India and UAE have been steadily growing since the upgradation of bilateral relations to a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ in 2017.
India's Defence Exhibitions
- DefExpo: The 11th edition of DefExpo was held for the first time in Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) in 2020.
- It's a flagship biennial event of the Ministry of Defence.
- Aero India: The 13th edition of the Aero India show was held at Bengaluru’s Yelahanka Air Force Station (Karnataka).
- Aero India is a biennial international military and civil airshow.
- It is a premier event that draws international and Indian military and civil aircraft makers, their support industries, military brass and government dignitaries, and business visitors.
