Israel has a presence at the renowned Bahrain International Airshow for the first time in the event’s history, as the two countries further cement their ties in the wake of the 2020 Abraham Accords.
State-run defense company Israel Aerospace Industries has its own stand in the exhibition hall at the airshow, just meters away from that of Pakistan.
“The Abraham Accords have opened the door for us to participate for the first time in this exhibition and to work collaboratively with our neighbors to deal with the common threats we face in the region,” said former Israeli defense minister and chairman of the IAI Board of Directors Amir Peretz.
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The biennial airshow, which did not take place in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, is being held over three days at Sakhir Air Base. The venue in the center of the country was built especially for the event.
Scores of countries and companies attend the event, showing off their aviation prowess and military capabilities or just doing business.
Sharon Biton, IAI’s vice president for marketing in the Middle East and North Africa, says that the fact that the company is even present outweighs the business aspect of the event.
“We take this with real seriousness,” Biton said, according to media reports. “It is part of longer-lasting relations we are building on.”
He said that Israel is cooperating with other nations to be “stronger together,” echoing IAI’s slogan at the airshow.
But not every nation was willing to embrace the new regional friendships, with Kuwaiti Finance House reportedly removing its logo from the list of sponsors and Omani airline SalamAir withdrawing altogether.