RIYADH: Turkey, the guest-of-honor country at the Saudi armed forcesexhibition (AFED 2018), has shown keen interest in working closely withSaudi Arabia to build Saudi defense capabilities.Such a move will help the Kingdom to develop an indigenous defenseindustry, and to design as well as manufacture defense platforms, productsand technology within the framework of Vision 2030.This was disclosed by Turkish Ambassador Erdogan Kok on Saturday. Kokpointed out “a total of 24 top-notch Turkish companies will display a largenumber of products, including military hardware and service components, atthe exhibition.” He said a high-ranking delegation comprising officials ofthe Turkish Defense Ministry and industry leaders led by Dr. Ismail Demir,chief of the Turkish defense industry, will participate in the openingceremony of AFED 2018.Kok pointed out that strategic ties between Turkey and Saudi Arabia in thefields of defense and military cooperation are flourishing. He said thatthe week-long AFED exhibition will serve as a unique tool for deepeningmilitary‑technical cooperation between the countries. This is a significantstep as developing a military industrial base is an ambitious andattainable goal in Vision 2020.The envoy said “Demir will hold talks with high-ranking Saudi leaders andsenior officials on the sidelines of the AFED.” He also noted that “thenext meeting of the Saudi-Turkish Coordination Council, which discusses anddeliberates all aspects of bilateral relations between the two countries,will take place in Riyadh soon.”Turkey, which has the second-largest standing military in NATO, has fieldedadvanced communications and information systems with focus on helicopters,unmanned aerial vehicles and sensors, said a report released on thisoccasion.
Turkey – Saudi Arabia to go for joint defence production