ABU DHABI, 15 February 2005 — The UAE has signed an agreement with Jordan’s Advanced Industries of Arabia (AIA) to buy “Tiger” armored personnel carriers at a cost of 153.7 million dirhams (around $42 million). UAE military procurement chief Brig. Obaid Al Ketbi made the announcement on the fringes of the International Defense Exhibition and Conference (lDEX 2005), which got under way here on Sunday.
Ketbi did not say how many “Tiger” vehicles were being bought.
The vehicles are produced in Jordan in a joint project with the UAE and its success was cited a model for Arab cooperation in defense and related industries by Jordanian Prime Minister Faisal Fayez.
Speaking to reporters after touring IDEX 2005, Faisal, who accompanied King Abdallah to Abu Dhabi to attend the opening of the event, paid tribute to the professionalism reflected in the good organization of IDEX as one of the prestigious events hosted by the UAE.
Events like IDEX are forums for Arab countries to familiarize themselves with advanced defense technologies and systems, he said, adding that Arab countries should arm themselves with latest weaponry for self-defense.
He also called for increased inter-Arab cooperation and cited the success of the joint UAE-Jordan “Tiger” project as an example of such co-operation.
