Turkish leader seeks fresh momentum in long-standing US defence ties

Türkiye and the United States should remove existing restrictions on defence cooperation and give their partnership fresh momentum both bilaterally and within NATO, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on September 22 during his visit to New York to attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Speaking at the “100 Years of Friendship Gala,” which highlighted the longstanding ties between Türkiye and the United States, Erdoğan described the defence industry as one of the traditional areas of cooperation between the two countries and called for further development of ties in this sphere, Caliber.Az reports.

He also highlighted the significant growth of Türkiye’s defence exports over the past several decades. According to Erdoğan, annual deliveries stood at $248 million around 20 years ago but now exceed $10 billion, while Türkiye’s share of global defence exports has increased by more than 120% compared with its level five years ago.

Beyond defence, Erdoğan said Türkiye is interested in expanding cooperation with the United States in energy, including nuclear power and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies, as well as in high technology and civil aviation.

“We are ready to develop cooperation with America in areas such as energy, including nuclear power and LNG, civil aviation and high technology,” the president stressed.

By Jeyhun Aghazada