Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 5
By Rufiz Hafizoglu – Trend:
Turkey is 70 percent self-sufficient in terms of the provision of defense products, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Trend reports referring to Turkish media.
According to him, special attention is paid to the development of the defense industry in Turkey.
"The development of the defense industry is one of Turkey’s prioritized goals," Erdogan said.
During the first six months of 2019, the total volume of exports of the defense industry of Turkey amounted to $1.282 billion, which is 4.4 percent more compared to January-June 2018.
As stated earlier by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey will strengthen the defense industry and will be among the world leaders in the production of defense products.
"I instruct all law enforcement agencies to refuse [to receive] products imported by the defense industry. Turkey is able to provide itself with relevant products," Erdogan said.
The head of state noted that in the near future, the country will begin mass production of the domestic tank ALTAY.
Turkey has invested about $35 billion in the defense industry in recent years.