The National Defense Companies Council (NDCC) announced the signing of three separate Memorandums of Understanding at IDEX 2017 with Turkish, South African and South Korean defense entities.
The NDCC, which is empowered by the Tawazun Economic Council, acts as a backbone for the national defense industry and creates channels for effective communication between the local defense contractors and international industry players to offer potential business opportunities that would serve the interests of the country.
The first MOU that NDCC signed was with the Turkish Defence and Aerospace Manufacturers Association (SaSaD). SaSaD is the association for Turkish producers of defense systems and equipment for domestic and international markets. The agreement was signed by H.E. Saif Mohamed Al Hajeri, Chairman of the NDCC, and Selçuk Yaşar, Chairman of the Turkish Defence and Aerospace Manufacturers Association.
The second MOU was with the South African Aerospace Maritime & Defence Industries Association (AMD), the cluster of leading South African companies in both private and public sectors that supply defense materiel, products and services. The MOU was signed by H.E. Saif Mohamed Al Hajeri, Chairman of the NDCC, and Brig Gen (ret) Damian de Lange, AMD Chairperson. The third was signed with the South Korean Defence Industry Association (KDIA) and the agreement was signed by Rashed Helal Al Darmaki, Member of the Admin Committee of the NDCC, and Young Hoo Kim, Executive Vice Chairman of KDIA.
In each of the signed MOUs, and in order to enable this cooperation, the parties to each of the respective MOU agreed to form a joint committee to develop initial projects. This committee will serve the purpose of discussion and enabling opportunities for both parties to the agreement without binding each of the host nations to any obligations. The main purpose of these agreements is to achieve the mission of the NDCC in strengthening the relations with international parties, exchange knowledge and expertise and explore potential business opportunities.
Commenting on the signing of the agreements, H.E Saif Mohamed Al Hajeri stated that; “The UAE has trade relations with each of the countries we signed MOUs with today and our nations share extensive cultural, military and economic ties. We hope these latest collaborative agreements to further develop business opportunities in the defense sector, will reap rewards in a mutually beneficial relationship for each of the parties. We look forward to seeing the results of these collaborations and how we can leverage individual fortes to achieve the desired results of growth and development in the sector”.
The NDCC is planning to grow its network with similar organizations like ADS, GIFAS, NDIA.
Part of the Council’s strategy is to exchange ideas and share their experiences with their counterparts to strengthen the relations between industries and support SME development programs.
