Page 38 - bne IntelliNews monthly magazine November 2024

38 I Southeast Europe bne November 2024
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev (fourth from left) inspects from wares from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) at the defence fair. / adex.az
Ankara okays Turkish, Israeli and Qatari co-sponsoring of Azerbaijan defence fair despite Erdogan’s Gaza “outrage”
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Turkey, a relentless outspoken critic of what it describes as Israel’s “genocidal” war on Palestinian territory Gaza, nevertheless consented to Turkish defence contractor Baykar
– owned by a son-in-law of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his brother
– joining Israeli state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Qatari defence contractor Barzan Holdings in co-sponsoring a defence exhibition
in Azerbaijan.
The 5th edition of Azerbaijan’s International Defense Exhibition (ADEX), held from September 24-26 at the Baku Expo Center, showcased military and security technology from 270 companies from 40 countries.
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The event was organised by Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defence, a big buyer of Israeli and Turkish military hardware.
Present at ADEX were numerous Israeli arms companies, including Elbit Systems, Rafael and Uvision UAV.
Baykar, known internationally for its Bayraktar combat drones, deployed by
Azerbaijan in its wars with Armenian forces, is run by Erdogan’s son-in-law Selcuk Bayraktar and elder brother Haluk Bayraktar.
Haluk Bayraktar, who serves as Baykar’s CEO, reacted defiantly when confronted by criticism over the co-sponsorship of the exhibition, according to a September 30 report from Turkish daily BirGun.
“The dominant role of Turkish companies and their presence as major sponsors at the ADEX International Defense Fair in Azerbaijan is the most tangible proof of this success”