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.