Under the patronage of Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior Nasser bin Abdulaziz al-Dawood inaugurated the “Saudi National Security and Risk Prevention” (SNSR) Expo at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center.
About 130 companies from 22 countries are taking part in the event, which focuses on digital transformation and innovative security solutions for smart cities and other projects envisaged in Saudi Vision 2030.
The event is organized by the Saudi Ministry of Interior, represented by the General Directorate for Civil Defense, with the participation of various departments of the Ministry and other national security agencies.
Director General of General Directorate for Civil Defense Lieutenant General Sulaiman al-Amro indicated that the event supports the Kingdom’s ambitions set by Vision 2030 and is one of the most important milestones across all areas, including the area of security to ensure the safety of citizens, residents and visitors.
“The Ministry of Interior, represented by the General Directorate for Civil Defense and related security sectors, strives to further develop and enhance the security and prevention sectors to address current and future security challenges,” Amro added.
He also praised the significant presence of leading global companies showcasing their sophisticated technologies at the exhibition, noting that this will facilitate opportunities to forge business relationships with Saudi Arabia’s public and private sectors.
Director of SNSR Expo, Melanie Solier told Asharq Al-Awsat that Saudi Arabia is the second largest buyer of defense and security technologies in the world after the United States, and “our biggest goal is to attract government agencies along with the private sector to a single platform.”
Al-Bahri CEO, Abdullah al-Dubaikhi, also spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on the sidelines of the expo and indicated that Saudi Arabia holds one of the most important arms and defense equipment markets in the world, so the company decided to enter this market.
Acting General Manager of the Emirates Defense Companies Council (EDCC), Sultan al-Samahi, announced that the UAE Pavilion is the largest of all 19 national pavilions taking part in the Expo.
“This is UAE Pavilion’s biggest participation in international events,” said Samahi, which is a reflection of the deep-rooted fraternal ties between the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Samahi went on to say that the companies taking part through the UAE Pavilion, seek to explore opportunities for cooperation with their Saudi counterparts.
“SNSR provides an excellent for us to showcase the rapidly growing defense and security industries sector in the UAE,” he indicated.
The event, which is being held for the first time in Saudi Arabia, boasts widespread participation from industry leaders, experts and consultants, as well as top local, regional and international companies specialized in the field of security solutions and risk management. It also features several workshops focusing on key issues related to innovation in security, in addition to live interactive demonstrations.
The event also features two forums. The first, entitled “The Future of Hajj Safety & Security Forum”, delves into the what Hajj seasons will require in terms of infrastructure, services and security facilities in order to create opportunities for organizations specializing the fields of security and risk prevention.
The second forum, “Smart Safe Cities Forum”, seeks to boost foreign direct investment in Saudi Arabia and support its objectives with regards to economic diversification.
The exhibition will also see the launch of Innovation Awards which will celebrate innovations across six categories: Virtual and Augmented Reality, Drone Detection, Unmanned Systems and Robots, Digital Crime Management and Digital Forensic Clues, Connected Systems and Smart Security Equipment and Crowd Control.
