UAE companies were largely absent from the World Defense Show in Riyadh, a no-show that analysts linked to strains in UAE-Saudi relations. Around 30 Emirati companies were listed as participants, but none showed up; the exhibition space allocated to EDGE Group — one of Abu Dhabi’s biggest arms makers — was turned into a coffee shop. Reuters reported over the weekend that UAE firms were planning to pull out of the show. EDGE did not respond to a request for comment.
Abu Dhabi and Riyadh are in a public standoff over competing visions for the region, with the clearest rupture playing out in Yemen. The rift is now seeping into commerce: Some UAE-based companies have reported difficulties securing Saudi visas, a friction that could threaten nearly $22 billion in annual trade between the Gulf’s two largest economies.