President Abdullah Gül and the TAI Anka
President Abdullah Gül officially opened the 10th International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF’11) at İstanbul’s Tüyap Convention Center in Büyükçekmece on Tuesday.
During his remarks Gül emphasized the significance of hosting this fair in a city that connects two continents and has become an important centre in its geographic region. “Especially in recent years, Turkey has placed greater importance on its national defence industry. Designing our own defence products and producing them using only domestic resources are big steps towards the development of this sector in Turkey,” Gül noted.
The fair, which will run May 10-13, will host many chiefs of general staff, defence ministers and military authorities from around the world. High-level military staff will have the opportunity to exchange views during their visit to IDEF’11, while foreign arms manufacturers and other defence contractors will also have the opportunity to establish important business contacts.
A total of 575 domestic and foreign companies from 44 countries — including Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc. (TAI), Aselsan, Roketsan, FNSS Defence Systems, Otokar and more — have gathered for the defence fair. Turkey’s Tusaş Aerospace Industries (TAI) will present its unmanned aircraft.
The Turkish president also shared his views on rising tensions in the Middle East and North Africa, saying that maintaining peace, stability and security in the world should be a priority for all countries. “In order to achieve this [peace, stability and security] it is certain that appropriate policies, politics and other tools are necessary. We need to understand that the defence industry is indispensable for preventing wars around the world, not to get involved in wars,” Gül said. “A country which does not have sufficient preparations to dissuade threats will be an open target.”
Source: Today’s Zaman