Türkiye attaches great importance to defence industry — President Erdogan

Türkiye attaches "great importance" to the development of its defence industry despite embargoes, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

"As Türkiye, we attach great importance to developing our defence industry, despite the many obstacles, secret and open embargoes that we face," President Erdogan said in a video message to the 16th International Defence Industry Fair 2023 being held in Istanbul.

One of the largest global defence events, which opened on Tuesday and will continue until Friday, is exhibiting a range of defence products including land vehicles, weapons, simulators, radars, sonars, naval platform solutions, aviation systems, missiles, logistic vehicles, supply equipment, and security systems.

"The Turkish defence industry sector has been writing a success story that has been followed with admiration by the whole world in recent years," President Erdogan said.

"Our industry has proven its worth with its armored vehicle s, artillery, rockets, air defence systems, and all kinds of weapons and radar systems tested in conflict zones," President Erdogan said.

The president hailed Türkiye's capabilities in drone technology, saying it is among the world’s top three countries in the field.

"Türkiye, which is one of the 10 countries that make its own warship, is also an important exporter in this field," he added.

Türkiye is "meticulously" implementing 850 different projects that will leave their mark in the defence industry, President Erdogan said, adding: "Last year, we reached an export figure of $4.4 billion. In the first six months of this year, we achieved a record export level of $2.3 billion. Our target in 2023 is $6 billion."

Ankara is not just about selling products, but aims to establish long-term partnerships and develop joint projects, he added.

"We are pleased to present our knowledge and experience in the defence industry to the benefit of our friends," President Erdogan said.