Ecuador evinces interest in used ships, aircraft

Ecuador has evinced interest in buying used fighter aircrafts andbattleships from Qatar, Ecuador’s Defence Minister Patricio ZambranoRestrepo said in Doha yesterday.Restropo was leading an official delegation at the Doha InternationalMaritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (Dimdex 2018), that concludedat the Qatar National Convention Centre yesterday.While expressing happiness at the discussions with his defencecounterparts from Qatar and some other participating countries at theexhibition, the Ecuadorian minister said he could realise that Qatar isin possession of some of the most sophisticated equipment, fighterplanes and battleships.“We have adequate requirements of battleships to provide protection andsecurity to the seas around our country as there have been incidents ofpirate activities,” he said, citing the reasons for showing interest inbuying ships and aircraft from Qatar.Restropo described Dimdex as one of the most advanced exhibitions ofnaval and defence equipment he has ever came across. “The equipmentshowcased at the expo were of extremely good quality,” he said.Restrapo also extended an invitation to a high-level defence delegationfrom Qatar to visit his country. A month ago, a ministerial delegationfrom Ecuador had met the Qatar Airways management and sought a directservice between Qatar and Quito.Ecuadorian Armed Forces Commander Caeser Merizalde said he was highlyimpressed by the exhibits at Dimdex and high-level of participation byvarious delegations. “I am hopeful that our country would have a biggerdelegation at the next edition of Dimdex,” he said.Ecuador Naval Staff chief Renan Ruiz Cornejo said he visited theexhibition of warships at the Hamad Port and was extremely pleased tohave toured some of the most equipped warships from the UK, the US,Italy, India, Pakistan, Oman and Bangladesh.At the meeting yesterday, Restrapo lauded the efforts being made byEcuador’s ambassador to Qatar Ivonne Juez ABaki in helping their countrybuild extremely good bilateral relations with Qatar in such a shortperiod after her arrival in Qatar.