Arms companies from Russia, China and Turkey to come to Minsk
The International Exhibition of Arms and Military Equipment “MILEX-2021” will take place on the tenth anniversary in Minsk from 23 to 26 June 2021. However, compared to last year, this time many Western countries refused to participate in the defense exhibition in Minsk.
Foto: Fotografie z videa
MILEX is the largest international arms salon. The exhibition is held every two years. The aim is to present the products of Belarus' defense industry in the field of high technologies and to demonstrate the potential of military enterprises. The organizers of the exhibition are the State Military-Industrial Committee and the Ministry of Defense of Belarus. The exhibition program also includes an international scientific conference.
In 2019, MILEX was visited by 59 official delegations from 35 countries. Hundreds of companies from many countries presented their products. In 2021, however, the extent of overseas representation decreased significantly. This was due to a new package of Western sanctions imposed on Belarus after the 2019 presidential election by a massive opposition rally.
The situation with sanctions worsened after an Irish airline plane made an emergency landing in Minsk and two of its passengers, Roman Protasevich and Sofia Sapega, were detained. Western countries have imposed restrictions on the flights of their aircraft in Belarusian airspace and have also banned Belarusian airlines from flying to Europe. Sanctions also affected the defense exhibition in Minsk.
In 2019, companies from Brazil, Germany, Italy, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Ukraine, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and other countries arrived at MILEX in Minsk. In 2021, most of these companies decided not to participate in the Belarusian exhibition.
Only companies from Russia, China, Turkey, Iraq and Uzbekistan announced their participation in MILEX-2021.
Rosoboronexport again announced a wide participation in the MILEX-2021 fair and the company's course for military-technical cooperation with Belarus. Alexander Mikheev, CEO of Rosoboronexport, said that it was proposed to implement joint projects for the production of military equipment and expand the areas of interaction.