President Erdoğan: Our foreign dependency in defense industry has decreased

 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a speech at a ceremony held for the launching of the Kınalıada Corvette, the fourth ship of the MİLGEM (National Ship) Project, and the start of the construction of the first ship of the Pakistan MİLGEM Corvette Project.

“OUR FOREIGN DEPENDENCY IN DEFENSE INDUSTRY HAS DECREASED”

Stating that Turkey is one of the 10 countries that can design, build and operate their warships with their national means, President Erdoğan, underscoring that the progress Turkey has made in defense industry enables itself to look at its future in a securer manner, said Turkey’s foreign dependency rate in defense industry has decreased to 30%, and that its research and development expenses in defense industry have approximated 1.5 billion dollars.

The President further stressed: “Today, we have five firms among the world’s top 100 defense companies. This number will inshallah increase constantly. Our goal is to entirely end our foreign dependency in defense industry by 2023.”

“WE WILL CONTINUE TO STAND WITH THE OPPRESSED”

Touching upon the ongoing incidents in Jammu and Kashmir region, President Erdoğan noted that 8 million people are virtually forced to live in an open-air prison. Also pointing to the incidents occurring in Palestine, President Erdoğan drew attention to the indifference of world’s powerful countries to these incidents, and said: “We will continue to stand with the oppressed.”