Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Bowardi, UAE Minister of State for Defense Affairs, received on Sunday a number of Ministers during the Unmanned Systems Exhibition and Conference, UMEX 2018.

The meetings were attended by Matar Salem Al Dhaheri, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Defense, along with a number of Ministry officials and senior officers.

Al Bowardi met with Minister of Defense of Pakistan, Khurram Dastgir Khan; Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy of South Korea, Paik Ungyu; Vice Minister of National Defense of South Korea, Suh Choo-suk, and Chief of the General Staff of Armed Forces and First Deputy Defense Minister of Belarus, Major General Oleg Belokonev.

During the meetings, the parties discussed cooperation and coordination mechanisms between the UAE and the countries of the visiting delegations, and means to develop ties to serve their common interests in the military and defense sectors, according to Emirates News Agency WAM.

The officials praised the in-house demonstrations during UMEX 2018 for unmanned land, sea and air systems, as well as a number of new regulations in border control and counter-terrorism.

For his part, Lt. General Hamad Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi, Chief-of-Staff of the UAE Armed Forces, met separately with Korean Vice Defense Minister Suh Choo-suk; Major General Mohammad Ould Sheikh Ahmed Sheikh El Ghazouani, Mauritania’s Chief of the General Staff of the Armies; Oleg Belokonev, Chief of the General Staff, First Deputy Defense Minister of Belarus; and Major General Shahid Mahmood Kayani from the Pakistani Armed Forces, at the third editions of the Unmanned Systems Exhibition and Conference, UMEX 2018.

During their meetings they reviewed bilateral relations between the UAE and their respective countries, especially in issues related to military and defense fields, as well ways to develop relations in the best interest of all sides.

Al Rumaithi also exchanged views with them on a number of current issues in the region, along with joint challenges in the defense field and regional security, as well as joint military defense domains.

They also hailed the organization of the event, which is deemed an ideal platform for showcasing the latest international and scientific innovations in unmanned systems to a leading global group of global, regional and local companies.