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Minister Kacır says Türkiye will enter the top 10 defense exporters
Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır said at a business gathering in New York that Türkiye ranks 11th in the world for defense industry exports. Kacır said Türkiye would join the top 10 defense-exporting countries next year and stated that more work was needed to reach the $100 billion trade target with the United States.
Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır said at the 4th Turkish-American Business Gathering in New York that Türkiye ranks 11th in the world for defense industry exports. Kacır said Türkiye would join the top 10 defense-exporting countries next year.
Export and technology capacity
Kacır said Türkiye's annual exports had risen from $36 billion to more than $280 billion, while exports of medium-high and high-technology products had increased from $10 billion to $116 billion.
Kacır stated that more than 13,000 technology startups operate across 115 technoparks in Türkiye, with more than 1,700 research and development and design centers and over 310,000 R&D employees. He said Türkiye had become a country capable of developing and producing critical technologies with its own resources and offering them competitively to global markets.
Emphasis on domestic production in the defense industry
Kacır said Türkiye meets more than 80% of its defense industry needs with systems it develops and produces domestically, adding that Türkiye is a world leader in unmanned aerial vehicles. He also said Türkiye can produce more than 50 warships simultaneously.
Kacır said Türkiye develops its own technologies in land vehicles, naval platforms, underwater vehicles, space and satellite systems, as well as cyber and quantum systems. He added that the country can meet its own needs in these fields.
$100 billion target in Türkiye-US trade
Kacır said trade between Türkiye and the United States had doubled over the past 10 years, adding that more work was needed to reach the $100 billion target set jointly by the two countries.
Kacır said the dialogue between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. President Donald Trump could enable new cooperation in strategic areas. He said the aim was to strengthen the partnership between Türkiye and the United States in areas such as data centers and artificial intelligence.
Kacır said they had met with many businesspeople in the United States, explained Türkiye's opportunities in investment, technology and R&D, and invited the American business community to invest and cooperate in Türkiye. He said interest in Türkiye was increasing every year.
2030 target for artificial intelligence investment
Speaking at the Global Turks New York Forum, Kacır said Türkiye had gained significant momentum in technology. He said work was under way under the National Technology Initiative to develop and produce critical technologies and offer them competitively to the world.
Kacır said artificial intelligence would be one of the most important technology areas in the coming period, adding that 2% of total public investment would be allocated to AI projects. He said the goal was to quadruple data center capacity from its current level by 2030 and attract more than $10 billion in private-sector investment in this area.
Kacır said the AI transformation had become a priority for all sectors and that Türkiye needed to be among the countries that emerged stronger from the process. He said a qualified workforce, strong infrastructure and sectoral diversity enabled Türkiye to achieve its goals.
Contributions from Turks living abroad
Kacır said that although Turks living abroad pursued their education and careers in different countries, their ties with Türkiye continued. He said these individuals could make significant contributions to the country and added that the ministry had a responsibility to channel those contributions to Türkiye.
Kacır said Türkiye was continuing its path as an island of peace and stability despite crises and conflicts in different regions. He also outlined goals including advancing the National Technology Initiative, completing air defense system projects and increasing Türkiye's level of deterrence.
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