DR ‹ › Belgium's first defense trade fair, Bedex, was organized in less than a year by 28-year-old Yassine Rafik, a Belgian of Moroccan origin and former spokesperson for the French-speaking liberal party MR. Opened this week at the Heysel Arena in Brussels, the fair brings together more than 200 defense industry exhibitors for three days of networking and business deals. The event will also open to the public on Saturday. Raised in Rabat, Rafik is the son of a Belgian diplomat and a Moroccan mother, and the grandson of a senior officer in the Moroccan army, a background he says shaped his early interest in the military. «I was very close to my grandfather… As a child I wanted to become a soldier myself, but my mother was too afraid of that», he told VRT NWS. The fair features opening speeches by NATO chief Mark Rutte and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, with guests including Defense Minister Theo Francken and the EU Commissioner for Defense. According to Rafik, the event receives «no subsidies whatsoever», with sponsorship coming from defense companies including FN, RTX, and Lockheed Martin. Belgian and EU institutions also have exhibition spaces, though Rafik says some booths were provided free of charge. The project was launched with the support of entrepreneur Joan Condijts, CEO of Deficom, whose company invested a six-figure sum in the event. The young organizer already plans to repeat the event. «There will definitely be a repeat in 2027», he said.
