RIYADH: Supporting local companies to enhance production and quality through working with international companies will be one of the key aims of the Armed Forces Exhibition for Diversification of Local Manufacturing (AFED).
Gen. Attiya Al-Maliki, spokesman for the exhibition and director general of the department overseeing the localization of manufacturing, said that Turkey would be guest of honor at the armed forces exhibition. The Ministry of National Guard would also participate in the exhibition.
During a press conference in Riyadh on Wednesday, Al-Maliki said the AFED, held from Feb. 25 to March 3 at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center, was in line with the Vision 2030 strategy.
Al-Maliki said there would be seminars and workshops during the event to present obstacles and how to overcome the challenges with proposals for industries. He said it would be a good opportunity for manufacturers and investors to identify business opportunities.
He said that when hearing about the AFED, many people “believe the companies are exclusive in showcasing only military needs, but that is not correct. In truth, we use products that are used both for military and civilian needs.”
“AFED is in line with Vision 2030 to support local products and manufacturing, and this is a tool to make Vision 2030 a reality,” he said.
The aim of the exhibition is to locally manufacture arms so that the nation’s factories benefited from sales rather than buying them from abroad.
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 a growing number of companies.
Earlier, Al-Maliki said that the exhibition was part of the government’s economic reforms, which aimed to stimulate investment, support non-oil exports and develop a knowledge-based economy.
Turkey will be guest of honor at Saudi armed forces exhibition
Turkey will be guest of honor at Saudi armed forces exhibition
Saudi Arabia welcomes ceasefire agreement between Syrian Democratic Forces and Syria state
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has welcomed an agreement between the Syrian state and Syrian Democratic Forces.
In a foreign ministry statement early on Monday, the Kingdom said it had welcomed an deal between Damascus and Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces that was announced by the Syrian government on Sunday.
The agreement entails merging all SDF forces into the defense and interior ministries and means that Kurdish forces will redeploy to east of the Euphrates river.
The 14-point deal would also see the immediate administrative and military handover of Deir Ezzor and Raqqa governorates.
The Syrian state would regain control of all border crossings, oil fields, and gas fields in the region, with protection secured by regular forces to ensure the return of resources to the Syrian government, while considering the special case of Kurdish areas, the state news agency SANA reported.
The ceasefire comes after intense fighting between the SDF and government troops in Aleppo. But SDF troops have now pulled back from there and the Syrian army now controls most areas east of Aleppo.
The Saudi foreign ministry statement also thanked the US for the agreement. Washington is believed to have supported brokering the ceasefire between allies SDF and the Syrian government, who they have also backed diplomatically since the fall of long-time dictator Bashar Assad.
The Syrian state announced on Friday a raft of new directives to recognize Syrian Kurds, including making their language official and bolstering other rights for the minority group.
