Dubai Airshow 2021: Bahrain formalises offset collaboration with Tawazun

Rear Admiral Yusef Ahmed Malallah, Assistant Chief of Staff for Supply and Logistics at the BDF (l) and Matar Ali Al Romaithi, Chief Economic Development officer at Tawazun (r) sign an MoU on defence industrial collaboration at the 2021 Dubai Airshow. (Tawazun)

The Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on 15 November with the United Arab Emirates' Tawazun Economic Council on defence industrial collaboration and offset programmes.

According to a release by Tawazun, the two organisations will work together to “build synergies aligned with the strategic goals of the defence and security industry, and to develop a common mechanism for implementing programmes related to implementation of the industrial participation programmes in the two countries”.

The two sides will also cooperate to identify opportunities for joint projects in the supply chain domains, as well as cooperation in research and development (R&D).

Matar Ali Al Romaithi, Chief Economic Development officer at Tawazun said the MoU paves the way for larger mutually beneficial cooperation in the future.

“We will work together to exchange the expertise and the know-how on the implementation of the offset programmes. We proudly welcome the opportunity to share our common practices and culture and with our brothers in BDF to expand their contribution to sustainable economic development in the Kingdom of Bahrain. We are also pleased to benefit from their experience in this field,” he added.

The BDF's Rear Admiral Yusef Malallah said, “This MoU is a significant milestone in the history of the Bahraini-Emirati cooperation in defence and security industries and will be followed by further steps in the near future to strengthen the strategic cooperation between the two brotherly countries.”