Azernews.Az

Qabil Ashirov

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The “World Defence Show 2026,” currently underway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, continues to serve as a key platform for international defense cooperation.

AzerNEWS reports that Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense Industry, Minister Vugar Mustafayev, who is attending the exhibition, held a series of high-level meetings on February 10 with prominent officials and industry leaders from several countries.

During the event, Mustafayev met with Ahmad bin Abdulaziz Al-Ohali, Governor of Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Military Industries, and Khalid bin Hussein Al-Biyari, Deputy Minister of Defense for Executive Affairs. He also held discussions with Mansurjon Ibodullayev, Director of the Defense Industry Agency under Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Defense, and Muhammad Chiragh Haider, Secretary of Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence Production.

In addition, the Azerbaijani minister met with senior representatives of leading U.S. defense companies, including General Dynamics, Teledyne FLIR, and Ansys.

The meetings focused on reviewing existing cooperation in the defense industry and exploring prospects for further development. The sides discussed potential avenues for collaboration in manufacturing, technology transfer, and innovation-driven growth.

During the talks, participants emphasized that in today’s rapidly evolving security environment, the defense industry is shaped not only by production capacity but also by strong scientific foundations, cutting-edge technologies, and agile management models. Strengthening ties between industry and academia was described as a strategic priority.

The importance of closely monitoring technological advancements, studying best practices, and adapting them to national contexts was highlighted as essential for ensuring the sector’s dynamic development. International exhibitions and forums such as the World Defence Show were noted as playing a vital role in facilitating dialogue and cooperation.

The discussions also underscored the value of institutionalizing experience-sharing mechanisms to ensure sustainable and structured collaboration.

All parties stressed the importance of maintaining active communication and continuing dialogue to advance mutually beneficial partnerships.

The World Defence Show 2026 is scheduled to conclude on February 12.