site.btaBulgarian Companies Take Part in International Defence Industry Fair in Istanbul

The International Defence Industry Fair 2023 exceeds the previous edition both in the amount of countries involved and in the number of participants. A total of 650 Turkish and 850 foreign companies are represented, including such from Bulgaria, as well as nearly 200 military and high-ranking delegations, the press centre of the Fair said on Friday.

A Bulgarian military delegation led by Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Eftimov visited the exhibition and held talks.

"Turkiye, as a rapidly developing country, is interesting for the military business and attracts attention. On the other hand, for partners and customers located in different geographic points of the world, Istanbul is a convenient place for the exhibition, as they can combine it with meetings and reach agreements,” Samuel-90 Deputy Director Georgi Yonchev told BTA.

“Bulgaria is one of Turkiye's closest and most stable partners in the military business, and we are also geographically close, so we are always interested in the exhibition," he added.

Yonchev noted that Samuel-90 is Bulgaria's largest defence electronics company and shared details about its production, which is also used to guard presidents.

"Our company is mainly known for manufacturing security systems and radio jammers for protection against synchronized explosive devices. Our products are used to guard convoys, including those of presidents of about 10 countries - Egypt, India, Pakistan, etc. A small company from Bulgaria that is known for the quality of its products," he explained.

"As for the fair, in general - the scale is impressive. We have participated in the last 10 editions of the exhibition and we see how it is constantly growing. The number of Turkish companies is impressive, which shows that the state and the government are working together with the defence industry, the military business is supported by the state," Yonchev pointed out.

Bulgarian company Arsenal also took part in the Fair, as it is a regular participant in the event in recent years.

Turkiye is one of the main customers of the Kazanlak arms plant production, according to experts. The Turkic-speaking states, led by Azerbaijan, have shown great interest in the Bulgarian arms business, as have Arab countries.

Experts from well-known defence equipment companies from Bulgaria, such as Kintex and Transmobil, were also among the participants at IDEF'23.

The event is being held in Istanbul for the 16th time and is one of the four largest exhibitions of military production in the world. Experts say it is characterized by bringing together participants who are less likely to be seen together elsewhere - Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the Far East.