Changing geopolitical balances are "opening a historic window of opportunity" for Türkiye to become a stronger, more effective and more decisive actor in the European defense ecosystem, according to a top official on Saturday.
Delivering a speech at the SAHA Istanbul 6th ordinary general assembly meeting, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Kacır evaluated the works related to satellite technologies, upcoming plans and developments in the defense sector.
SAHA Istanbul is a mega cluster involving over 1,200 member companies working on boosting domestic capabilities of the Turkish defense, aerospace and space sectors.
The authorities aim to continue to deepen competencies in the fields of aviation, ammunition and missile systems, naval platforms, land vehicles, electronic warfare and radar, on a subsystem, material and component basis in the coming period, Kacır told the meeting in Istanbul.
He stated that they planned to build the Space Technology Development Zone in Ankara in cooperation with Middle East Technical University (METU), to implement similar success stories in the space industry to the ones they have presented in the defense industry.
"We will all accelerate the building of capabilities in technologies that will shape the war arena of the future, such as engines, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, autonomy, cybersecurity, space, hypersonic, quantum and biotechnology," he added.
"In addition to ensuring its own self-sufficiency in defense products with its infrastructure, engineering capabilities and human resources, our country also has the ability to take concrete responsibility for the security of Europe, which is still 80% dependent on foreign countries in this field, in other words, where we were 20 years ago," Kacır nored.
"Especially the changing geopolitical balances are opening a historical window of opportunity for Türkiye to become a stronger, more effective and more decisive actor in the European defense ecosystem," he added, emphaszing importance to resolutely continue working together, with "the spirit of coordination focused on national goals among all the actors in our defense industry."
Several experts and analysts have recently highlighted Türkiye's growing role as a pivotal partner for Europe as it contends with the dual challenges of declining U.S. engagement in NATO and persisting fears of Russia.
Turkish officials have also pointed to Ankara's emerging role, urging Brussels to work with non-EU member countries to ensure its security amid uncertainty in relations with the U.S.
Meanwhile, the recent collaboration between Turkish drone producer Baykar and Italy’s defense contractor Leonardo is also seen as a promising sign of growing defense partnerships.
The minister said that he found the approach of SAHA Istanbul, Europe's largest defense cluster, which nourishes effective cooperation in the defense industry ecosystem and guides all the actors in the sector, very valuable.
"I see SAHA Istanbul, which has adopted the mission of developing the competencies of our defense industry, as a strategic cooperation platform that reinforces Türkiye's rise on the world stage," he underscored.
As part of his opening remarks, he also recalled the production of the Türksat 6A satellite, which he said is the technology product with the highest material value they have ever produced in Türkiye.
"After this project, which is a historical turning point in satellite studies, we are working hard to implement new projects, IMECE 2, IMECE 3, and hopefully Türksat 7A," Kacır said.
The Türksat 6A satellite entered into service last month, and with it, Türkiye has joined the ranks of only 11 countries capable of producing its own communications satellite.
"We will establish our national satellite company with global competitive power in order to gather the public capacity in the field of satellite development under one roof," the minister added.
At the same time, pointing to the growth of global defense industry, he emphasized that expenditures globally have surged from $1.9 trillion to $2.7 trillion in the last 10 years alone, and that Türkiye, which is located in a difficult geography and has been struggling with cross-border threats and asymmetric security risks within its borders for many years, cannot remain indifferent to this picture.
Stating that they see the national defense industry as "an inseparable part of strategic independence and development vision," Kacır explained that in the last 22 years, prioritizing national and original products, long-term R&D investment and supply plans, and programs aimed at qualified human resources have brought the defense industry to a major breakthrough.
According to the minister, they have built a multilayered ecosystem together, which extends from main contractors to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), from research institutions to universities.
"The strong cooperation between all actors in our defense industry ecosystem, production competence at international standards and innovative R&D understanding make it possible to meet the defense needs of not only Türkiye but also friendly and allied countries," he maintained.
He further recalled that the export of defense products, which he said offer higher capabilities compared to their global counterparts and also boast strong brand value in the international market with competitive costs, have reached $7.1 billion last year.
"In the first four months of this year, our exports increased by 67% compared to the same period last year," he concluded.
