RIYADH: In preparation for the Armed Forces Exhibition for Diversification of Local Manufacturing (AFED), which will be held on Feb. 25, Maj. Gen Attiya bin Saleh Al-Malki, spokesman of the exhibition and director general of the department overseeing the localization of manufacturing, explained that the exhibition will have local companies that produce merchandise of high standards with the employment of Saudis, thus creating jobs and helping the economy.
The first AFED exhibition was launched in 2010 in Riyadh exclusively for the armed forces. The second exhibition was held in Dhahran in partnership with Saudi Aramco and Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC). The third exhibition was held in Riyadh in 2016 with Saudi Aramco, SABIC and many other companies.
During a press conference in Riyadh on Wednesday, Al-Maliki said: “We have made much headway and progress in sector and more is expected in this exhibition.”
When Arab News inquired about the timefame for total localization, Al-Maliki said: “We started in 2013, and since then we have a planned vision and goals. Before Vision 2030, our goals were long term, but now with Vision 2030, we can see ourselves executing our goals of Saudi industrialization of military supplies in a much shorter timeframe.”
The vision and aim of the exhibition is to locally manufacture the arms needed by the country so that the nation’s factories may benefit from sales, rather than buying them from abroad.
Al-Maliki said there would be lectures and workshops during the event. He said it would be a good opportunity for manufacturers and investors to identify business opportunities.
Earlier, Al-Maliki said the exhibition is part of the economic reforms announced by the government, which aims to stimulate investment, support non-oil exports and develop a knowledge-based economy.
The AFED management hopes it will open vast opportunities for job employment and boost the local economy, furthering more factories and companies to upgrade their standards and work toward achieving a higher quality of merchandise that may even be sold on the international market in the future.
Armed forces exhibition to help localize Saudi military industry
Armed forces exhibition to help localize Saudi military industry
Saudi deputy FM attends OIC ministers’ meeting on Somalia situation
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed Elkhereiji has reaffirmed the Kingdom’s full support for Somalia’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, while strongly rejecting any actions that undermine the country’s stability.
Speaking at an extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers from member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Elkhereiji condemned the declaration of mutual recognition between Israeli occupation authorities and the Somaliland region, describing it as a unilateral separatist move that violated international law, the UN Charter and the OIC Charter.
He stressed the Kingdom’s categorical rejection of any attempts to impose parallel entities that contradict Somalia’s unity and territorial integrity, or that seek to divide or diminish its sovereignty. Elkhereiji also reiterated Saudi Arabia’s support for Somalia’s legitimate state institutions and its commitment to preserving the country’s stability and the security of its people.
Elkhereiji called on the OIC and its member states to adopt a firm and unified Islamic position rejecting any recognition of, or engagement with, separatist entities in Somalia. He urged coordinated action in international forums to affirm Somalia’s unity and prevent what he described as dangerous precedents that could threaten the sovereignty of OIC member states.
He further called for holding the Israeli entity fully responsible for any political or security consequences resulting from such actions, and for rejecting any cooperation arising from the declaration of mutual recognition.
During the meeting, he also reiterated the Kingdom’s position on the Palestinian cause, emphasizing its centrality and Saudi Arabia’s support for efforts to secure a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. He said this would enable the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination and establish an independent state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
