Ankara: Trkiye is ready to become one of the driving forces behind the industrial transformation NATO needs, the head of the country's Turkish Defense Industries Secretariat said Tuesday. Speaking at the opening of the NATO Defense Industry Forum held in Ankara as part of this week's NATO Summit, Haluk Gorgun emphasized the forum's significance at a crucial time for the alliance's defense architecture.
According to Anadolu Agency, Gorgun highlighted the serious upheavals, wars, and security challenges across nearly every region of the world over the past three years, reshaping the global defense environment. He stressed that there is little time to strengthen industrial capacity and that collaboration among NATO members is essential. Gorgun described the forum as the centerpiece of this year's summit, underscoring its importance for the future of NATO allies, especially with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte prioritizing defense industrial capacity.
Gorgun noted the unique significance of hosting the forum in Trkiye, emphasizing the country's unprecedented growth in the defense industry under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's leadership. He mentioned the forum's high-level participant profile, developed in close cooperation with the NATO Secretariat, and urged participants to view demonstrations of defense industry products, such as the Kizilelma drone developed by Baykar.
Gorgun recounted NATO's recent initiatives, including the Defense Production Action Plan, the Industrial Capacity Expansion Pledge, and the commitment to allocate 5% of GDP to defense spending. He highlighted Trkiye's contributions to NATO's agenda, offering mature solutions in areas like armed unmanned aerial vehicles, space technologies, and countering drone threats. Gorgun pointed to Trkiye's collaborative efforts with NATO members, such as the HURJET aircraft with Spain and electronic warfare infrastructure in Poland, and the enhancement of the Bayraktar TB2 fleet's resilience in Poland.
He also remarked on the psychological advantage the UAVs provided Ukrainians during the war in 2022 and Trkiye's continuous support through advanced systems and vehicles. Gorgun expressed Ankara's aspiration to integrate these capabilities into new NATO initiatives, viewing collaborations from a strategic perspective and reflecting this approach in hosting various NATO events and providing technical support.
Concluding his remarks, Gorgun invited forum participants to a reception at Turkish Aerospace Industries' facilities in Ankara, highlighting its role as a center of excellence in aviation and space.