ISTANBUL 

Exports of goods and services from Türkiye in 2025 reached an all-time high of $396 billion, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday.

Türkiye has become Europe’s fourth-largest production hub and the world’s 12th-largest, producing 1.5 million vehicles a year and exporting over $41 billion in automobiles, Erdogan said at an event in Istanbul.

President Erdogan said that defense and aviation exports are among Türkiye’s major sources of pride, noting that the country has become a globally recognized player in this field.

He highlighted the recent agreement with Spain for procurement of Türkiye’s homegrown aircraft Hurjet as confirmation of Türkiye’s leading role, adding that the aircraft’s entry into the inventory of a European and NATO member will further expand opportunities in the coming years.

Türkiye’s defense exports have risen fortyfold from $248 million in 2002 to $9.87 billion in 2025, he added.

Erdogan stated that Türkiye has become the EU’s fifth-largest trading partner, with trade volume reaching $232.7 billion in 2025 and exports to the EU rising to $117 billion.

He underlined that modernizing the Customs Union with the EU is now unavoidable and expressed hope that the bloc would soon authorize and begin negotiations.

He also warned against EU protectionist measures, emphasizing that Türkiye expects respect for the partnership and will take all necessary steps to protect its industries’ competitiveness.

In 2025, Türkiye’s exports reached $73.7 billion with Organization of Islamic Cooperation members, $11 billion with Turkic states, $5.6 billion with non-EU Balkan countries, and around $19.2 billion with the US, Canada, and Mexico, he said.

“No stopping, we move forward,” he added.