Turkey’s defense industry, the need to lift restrictions between the allies regarding the defense industry and Ankara’s enhanced role in the new NATO security architecture were highlighted by Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his speech during the NATO Summit in Ankara. The Turkish president claimed that his country is now among the top ten defense industries in the world, while he appealed to allies and especially to the European Union not to exclude non-EU states from defense initiatives.
– The defense industry in focus –
Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented, in his speech during the NATO Summit, the strengthening of the Turkish defense industry as a key element of his country’s contribution to the Alliance, emphasizing the investments made by Ankara.
“Undoubtedly, the real success of our country lies in the progress we have made in the field of defense industry. In terms of production and export capacity, we are ranked among the top 10 countries in the world,” said the Turkish president.
At the same time, he announced new funding to strengthen the country’s defense capabilities.
“We have allocated an additional budget of $24 billion for air and missile defense capabilities, which are the biggest gap in our alliance,” he stressed.
Referring to the Turkish armed forces, he noted that, “as the country with the largest land army in Europe, we make every effort to put our capabilities at the service of the Alliance whenever this is required.”
He also added that, “as Turkey, we have taken the necessary steps to increase the percentage of our defense spending to 3.5% (of GDP) before 2030.”
– Call for the lifting of restrictions on defense cooperation –
The Turkish president linked the achievement of the goal, which he called “NATO 3.0”, to the strengthening of defense cooperation between the allies, calling for the lifting of restrictions on defense procurement and industrial cooperation.
“Restrictions must be lifted between allies in the field of defense cooperation, with an emphasis on the defense industry,” he said.
Referring to the same issue, he underlined: “Dear guests, in order to achieve the goal of “NATO 3.0″ as soon as possible, I would like to highlight the following two issues in particular: first, the lifting of restrictions between allies in the field of defense cooperation, led by the defense industry.”
As he said, the same message emerged in the proceedings of the defense industry forum.
“I welcome the fact that this message was highlighted by both industry representatives and government officials at the Defense Industry Forum,” he said.
Turkey’s role in NATO operations
Erdogan also referred to Turkey’s participation in the Alliance’s missions, presenting his country as one of the key contributors to NATO operations.
“In Kosovo, the Black Sea, the Baltic States and elsewhere, we are on the front lines of allies contributing to Alliance operations, missions and exercises,” he asserted.
Message to the EU
A significant part of the speech was devoted to NATO-EU relations, with the Turkish president calling for parallel structures not to be created that, he argued, would weaken the Alliance and exclude non-EU states.
“Secondly, as we as European allies assume greater responsibility for the defense of the continent, we must also avoid steps that could weaken the unity of the Alliance and the transatlantic relationship,” he said.
Addressing specifically the member states of the European Union, he also said: “Here I would like to specifically address our allies who are members of the European Union: The maximum benefit from the Union’s security efforts can only be achieved if unnecessary overlaps with NATO are avoided.”
He added: “While a common-sense co-operation model is possible, excluding non-EU allies will lead to a waste of limited resources and an artificial division in Europe, which we do not want at all.”
– Support for Trump on Iran –
Concluding his presentation, the Turkish president referred to the developments surrounding Iran, expressing his support for the stance of US President Donald Trump.
“I appreciate the firm stance shown by my friend, Mr. Trump, despite the sabotage attempts, to find a solution to the Iran crisis,” he stressed.
SOURCE: APE-ME