Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at a local election rally in Ankara, Turkey, March 23, 2019. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the country is set to become a global player in the defense industry, local Hurriyet Daily News reported on Sunday. Speaking at a local election rally in Ankara on Saturday, Erdogan said that Turkey will achieve this goal through "unique designs and advanced technology." (Xinhua/Mustafa Kaya)
ANKARA, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the country is set to become a global player in the defense industry, local Hurriyet Daily News reported on Sunday.
Speaking at a local election rally in Ankara on Saturday, Erdogan said that Turkey will achieve this goal through "unique designs and advanced technology."
Turkey's aerospace and defense industry exports surged 17 percent in 2018, hitting a record high of 2.035 billion U.S. dollars, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Turkish aerospace and defense industry has been undergoing a profound transformation since 2003 and has since launched remarkable defense projects involving the MILGEM battleship, the ALTAY main battle tank, attack helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles, a Turkish expert told Xinhua.
The election rally on Saturday was jointly organized by the ruling Justice and Development Party and the allied Nationalist Movement Party ahead of the upcoming local election across the country.
With the clock ticking down to local elections set for March 31, Turkey is seeing daily campaign rallies and speeches by candidates and political leaders. According to the official data, 450,000 people attended the rally in Ankara.
