Strengthening the Strategic Cooperation Between Greece and the UAE in Defense Technology
On Friday, May 2, 2025, at 13:00, the Minister of National Defense of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Nikos Dendias, welcomed the Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology of the United Arab Emirates, Dr. Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Jaber, at the Ministry of National Defense, as part of Dr. Al Jaber’s official visit to Greece.
Dr. Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Jaber will be accompanied by senior officials from EDGE Group, one of the UAE’s leading defense industry organizations.
EDGE Group (Arabic: مجموعة إيدج) is an advanced technology and defense conglomerate based in the UAE. It was established on November 5, 2019, by His Excellency Faisal Al Bannai and includes over 25 entities drawn from the Emirates Defence Industries Company (EDIC), the Emirates Advanced Investments Group (EAIG), and Tawazun Holding. The group employs around 12,000 people. According to Defense News, EDGE Group ranked as the 24th largest defense contractor in the world in 2021. It does not appear in the updated Defense News Top 100 list for 2024.
During the Dendias – Al Jaber meeting, agreed to explore opportunities for strategic cooperation in the exchange of expertise and the joint development of innovative defense technologies. Particular emphasis placed on connecting Greece’s defense innovation ecosystem (via the Hellenic Center for Defence Innovation – HCDI) with the UAE’s corresponding ecosystem, represented by EDGE Group.
The meeting was attended by the Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, General Dimitrios Choupis, the Director General of the General Directorate of Defence Investments Armaments (GDDI), Major General Ioannis Bouras, the Director General of the General Directorate of National Defence Policy & International Relations of the Ministry of National Defence (GDPEADS), Ambassador emeritus Michael Spinellis, the Managing Director of ELKAK Pantelis Tzortzakis and relevant staff members of the Armed Forces.