There will be significant increase in the number of countries participating in the fifth edition of the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (Dimdex), said a top official of the organising committee.
Held under the patronage of HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and hosted and organised by the Qatar Armed Forces, Dimdex 2016 will take place at Qatar National Convention Centre from March 29 to 31.
The details of the event were disclosed at a briefing session for diplomats of the participating countries and the media
yesterday.
Dimdex deputy chairman and board member Staff Brigadier (Sea) Abdulbaqi S al-Ansari, VIP delegation and protocol officer Captain (Sea) Mohamed Khalid al-Mannai, Dimdex operations director Brigadier (Sea) Ahmed al-Haroon, and conference director Dr Andreas Krieg were present.
“We expect about 30% increase in the participation at the event this time,” Staff Brigadier al-Ansari said. Many new countries will be participating in this edition.
“We are expecting a significant growth as it is the largest specialised naval defence and maritime security exhibition in the Middle East and Mena region.”
“This is the first time, Dimdex is organised by Qatar Armed Forces. So far we have been hosting the event. All the latest technologies in the defence sector will be displayed by the participating countries,” he added.
Dr Krieg pointed out that this year, there will be experts from participating countries who will give presentations
on various technologies.
“Generally we used to have representatives from the defence sector from each country. But this year we will have experts from these countries speaking at the conference. We are diversifying the scope of the conference with more participation and presentations.” This year’s theme for the conference is ‘The Maritime Domain – The Centre of Gravity for the Regional Security Complex of the Arabian Gulf.’
Brig Dr (Eng) Thani A al-Kuwari, Assistant Minister of State for Defence Financial Affairs and Dimdex chairman: “The year 2016 is a notable year in the history of the show, as it marks the first edition of Dimdex to be both organised and hosted by the Qatar Armed Forces. We are honoured by the huge international support received from participating nations, which has helped Dimdex grow to become comparable in size and reputation with the largest shows of its type in the world.”
Dimdex 2016 is expected to be the largest edition of the show to date, with new countries participating at Dimdex for the first time, exhibitors demonstrating new technologies, and an expansion in Dimdex’s scope to cover new sectors such as maritime aviation, naval base security, unmanned aerial vehicles, maritime patrol aircraft and coastal surveillance systems.