UAE Armed Forces instrumental in building IDEX 2009: UAE Chief of Staff

The UAE Armed Forces have played an active role in the success story of the International Defence Exhibition and Conference ever since it was launched in 1993, thanks to the statesmanship of the late Founding Father Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan who laid the foundations of our modern state, according to Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces General Hamad Mohammed Thani Al-Rumaithi.
In a statement to Dira' Al Watan Magazine, the top brass said the active role of the UAE Armed Forces has been one of the major factors in rendering IDEX successful.
This year's edition is expected to be an unprecedented success, thanks to great support from President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the directives of Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and to the follow-up by General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
"Development plans for the UAE's Armed Forces reflect independent decision-making and are shaped by the threats to the Arabian Gulf region and the fast-paced development of military technologies", he remarked.
The accompanying Gulf Defence Conference (GDC 2009) will provide the military as well as the civilian with an opportunity to closely view the current emerging security and defence issues and threats in the Arabian Gulf region as well as to engage in discussions with the elite military experts and specialists IDEX is true demonstration of the confidence the world has in the UAE as a host country which enjoys stability and security, Al-Rumaithi added. – Emirates News Agency, WAM