ISTANBUL / ANKARA

The International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) 2025 showcases Türkiye’s rise as a sovereign defense power, the country’s president said Tuesday.

“Today, we are not only witnessing the development of the Turkish defense industry, but also the march of a nation toward independence, we are seeing the story of a country rising under its own sky, on its own wings,” said Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking at the opening ceremony of the International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) in Istanbul.

Erdogan said the country has overcome "embargoes, double standards, and diplomatic pressures" to become a global force, leaving a mark on the global market with its defense industry.

"In the 1960s during the Cyprus incidents and in the 1990s in the fight against terrorism, unfortunately, we did not receive sufficient support from these so-called friendly and allied countries. After the 1974 (Cyprus) Peace Operation, which we carried out to protect the rights and interests of the Turkish Cypriots, the sanctions reached their peak,” recalled Erdogan.

“The aircraft we sent for maintenance were seized, and we were even charged storage fees for keeping them in hangars. Even the most basic communication tools, like radios, were not supplied to our country for a while,” he added.

“During the tensions with the Assad regime (of Syria), we once again saw a lack of commitment to our agreements. When we sought to improve our air defense capabilities, we were repeatedly turned away. At one point, when our airspace was being regularly violated, air defense systems were actually taken out of our country in a rush,” Erdogan said.

Against this background, Türkiye has accelerated its defense and security investments while pursuing a humanitarian and proactive foreign policy, he added.

Türkiye’s development in defense industry

Türkiye has propelled its defense industry to a new level, from design to mass production, from R&D efforts to the innovation process, and the country has largely overcome the long-standing issue of foreign dependency in the defense industry, Erdogan also stressed.

"Domestic production rate in our defense industry has now exceeded 80%," he added.

The president also highlighted that Türkiye's defense and aerospace exports hit a new record last year, rising by 29% to reach $7.15 billion. He added that in June alone, exports in these sectors grew by 10.4% year-on-year, totaling $623 million.

"Our exports in the last 12 months reached $7.5 billion, marking a 23.1% increase compared to the previous year. With the right strategies that we will follow in areas such as laser and electromagnetic weapon systems, autonomous systems, cybersecurity, quantum technology, and artificial intelligence, we will hopefully further increase our competitiveness in the near future," he said.

Erdogan emphasized that one of the country’s most important advantages is its qualified and dynamic human capital, stating that there is a well-educated workforce capable of advancing technological breakthroughs, particularly in the defense industry, and that they are determined to further develop this strength.

The six-day event that started Tuesday is organized under the auspices of the country's presidency in coordination with the National Defense Ministry, the Defense Industries Secretariat, and the Armed Forces Foundation.

The 17th edition of the fair is held simultaneously at the Istanbul Fair Center, Atatürk Airport, Wow Hotel, and the Atakoy Marina.

The exhibition showcases armored combat vehicles, tactical armored vehicles, unmanned ground, air, and sea vehicles, weapon systems, rockets, long-range anti-tank missile systems, infantry weapons, military simulators, electronic warfare solutions, power groups, and explosive ordnance disposal equipment.

The fair is expected to draw a huge number of people, with many signing ceremonies.

The previous edition of the fair was held in July 2023 in Istanbul.

Genocide in Gaza

Whoever remains silent about the genocide in Gaza is "complicit in the crimes against humanity" committed by Israel, said the Turkish president on Gaza.

Türkiye will continue to keep Israel's genocide against the people of Gaza, which far surpasses that of the Nazis, on the agenda of all humanity, said Erdogan.

“Our goal is to establish a ceasefire as soon as possible. Allowing humanitarian aid to enter Gaza is another priority,” he said.

“Plight of children in Gaza, who are skin and bones from hunger because humanitarian aid is not allowed in, is our plight,” he added.

“No one with even a shred of human dignity can accept this cruelty in which dozens of innocent people die every day because they cannot find a morsel of bread or a sip of water,” Erdogan said.

“In these dark days, when mass deaths from hunger have begun, I call on the entire international community to unite on the side of humanity,” he stressed.