PEACE campaigners in Wales welcomed confirmation today that Welsh government ministers will not attend an arms fair next month in Newport.

The response followed a letter last week to First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth and Cabinet Minister Adam Price calling for the event to be cancelled.

Badged as the Defence Security Resilience Cymru summit, the weapons fair is scheduled to be held in Newport on September 3-4.

A coalition of Welsh peace and solidarity groups including Stop the War Cymru, CND Cymru, Cymdeithas y Cymod, Heddwch ar Waith, Palestine Solidarity Campaign Cymru, Amnesty activist groups in Wales and Cymru Cuba all signed the letter.

The campaigners are also seeking a meeting with the FM to persuade his government to invest in an economy that prioritises the welfare of “our communities” and not the arms trade.

Stop the War Cymru convener Dominic MacAskill said: “We welcome the news that Welsh government ministers will not be attending the arms fair in Newport next month.

“But we understand that civil servants will still be attending, which signals Welsh government support for an industry that is responsible for the slaughter in Gaza and the Middle East.

“Stop the War Cymru will play its part in seeking talks with the Welsh government, along with other peace groups, to persuade it that expanding the Welsh economy does not have to rely of promoting the arms trade.

“The new Plaid Cymru government has an opportunity to move away from a military economy and develop an economy that prioritises the welfare of our communities and not warfare.”

A Plaid Cymru spokesperson said: “We were elected on a platform which promised that a Plaid Cymru government would take a stand for peace, justice, and respect for international law.

“In government we are fulfilling that pledge by developing a first-of-its-kind ethical defence framework, more of which will be announced in the autumn.”

A Welsh government spokesperson confirmed that ministers would not attend the arms fair but said it would have a presence at the event at official level to support Welsh businesses.

“An ethical defence framework is being developed, informed by discussions with Scottish government and Northern Ireland executive counterparts, and will guide future engagement with the sector,” the spokesperson said.

A coalition of campaigners will be supporting a demonstration outside Newport’s International Convention Centre on September 3.