The armed forces exhibition for materials and spare parts was opened here Saturday by Prince Khaled Bin Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, the Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation for Military Affairs. In his address to the occasion, Prince Khaled said the current initiative was part of directives issued by the Crown Prince. It would strengthen cooperation between the Ministry of Defense and Aviation and the private sector, encourage national manufacturers to participate in supporting the armed forces and also help in the transfer and adoption of new technology. He also said that one of the most important goals was to break the monopoly in manufacturing by external companies. Speaking on the occasion, Lt. Gen. Abdul-Rahman Bin Fahd Al-Faisal, the Commander of the Royal Saudi Air Forces, said the show aims to enable local manufacturing companies and the private sector to get to know the requirements of the armed forces. He underscored the importance of implementing investment projects and the contribution of the private sector to the development of the national economy. He lauded Prince Khaled's keen interest and guidance as the President of the National Central Committee, for the need to identify products that could be produced locally by self-sufficient companies. In his speech, Dr. Ebrahim Al -Assaf, the Minister of Finance, praised the joint cooperation between the Saudi Armed Forces and the local manufacturers in strengthening the capacity of national industry. He said this can help to lower costs, improve security, allow for the transfer of technology and to create jobs. Dr. Khaled Al Suleiman, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for Industrial Affairs said that this National Strategy would increase the industrial sector's contribution to gross domestic product by 20 percent and create four times as many jobs for Saudis than was currently the case.
