Turkish Defense Industries President Haluk Görgün evaluated the performance of his agency in 2023 and informed the targets set for 2024 at a meeting with Ankara bureau chiefs of the media outlets in the Turkish capital, Hürriyet reported.
“I can say that we have fully achieved the targets set for 2023 in every field,” Görgün stressed, informing that one of the efficient ways to measure the success of his agency is the exports of defense industry products.
“In the year 2023, we have broken the record in terms of the exports of the defense industry products. Our defense industry exports increased by 27 percent compared to 2022 and reached a total of $5.5 billion,” Görgün stated. He also informed that new contracts with a total value exceeding $10 billion were also signed in 2023.
“This is the reflection of the confidence towards our defense industry,” he underlined, describing the growing Turkish defense industry as the rising star of Türkiye.
Görgün recalled that the Turkish defense industry products were sold to 170 countries in 2022 and that this number increased to 185 countries in the past year. “We are exporting around 230 different defense industry products,” he said.
Türkiye has become one of the top exporters of drones and armed drones in recent years as these products have proven their quality in both Türkiye and in the countries they are being used.
“For us, the fact that our products are being sold and efficiently used by our friends and allies is good evidence of the success of our industry,” he stated.
Türkiye is among five countries that can produce advanced armed drones and among 10 countries that can produce submarines and other sea vessels, Görgün recalled. “We are of the opinion that Türkiye’s deterrence in the face of the changes in the geopolitical balances can only be possible through a strong and national defense industry capacity.”
There will be many good news stories regarding the defense industry achievements in the year 2024, Görgün vowed, informing that Türkiye’s first indigenous fifth-generation fighter jet, KAAN, will perform its first flight.
“KAAN will soon take off. But, at the same time, we have already started our works for the sixth generation warplanes,” Görgün said, adding that KAAN will use the engines to be fully developed and produced by national resources.
Mongolia has reached a critical juncture and is undergoing a process of foreign policy modernization. The burgeoning relations between Ulaanbaatar and Central Asian states signifies a strategic initiative aimed at balancing its partnerships with Russia and China. Since 2020, Mongolia has augmented its diplomatic activities with Central Asian countries, as evidenced by the Mongolian President's visit to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in 2024. Notwithstanding the prevailing positive development dynamics, economic relations between Mongolia and Central Asia remain modest but growing, particularly in trade with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, where exports have increased significantly.
Sri Lanka is the only country in the Asia region currently engaged in discussions with US officials to renegotiate tariffs imposed under US President Donald Trump’s administration, according to deputy economic minister.
China confirmed on Friday details on the framework of a trade deal with the United States, saying Washington would lift "restrictive measures" while Beijing would review and approve items under export controls.