Doha, Apr 1 (IANS): Qatar signed 19 major arms deals worth $8.95 billion at the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX 2016), the media reported on Friday.

The transactions included eight Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) inked on Thursday to supply Qatari Armed Forces with important maritime equipment valued at 1.29 billion Qatari riyals (QR), Xinhua news agency quoted authorities as saying.

They also included consolidation of a deal of 24 French Dassault Rafale fighters worth on Tuesday, as well as 10 MoU signed on Wednesday with international companies for arming and developing the Armed Forces.

Dimdex 2016 has attracted about 9,000 visitors and official VIP delegations from over 60 participating countries.

During the three days event which concluded on Thursday, international and local exhibitors took full advantage of the opportunity to present the latest maritime defence technology to buyers, build business connections, discuss the latest trends in the industry and secure deals.

The Qatari Armed forces inked 40 deals worth almost $23 billion during the previous edition of DIMDEX held in 2014.