Belgian defense minister praises Türkiye’s defense industry, says Belgium should follow suit

Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken on Wednesday praised Türkiye’s advances in defense technologies, innovation and unmanned systems, saying Belgium should accelerate efforts to modernize its armed forces and expand drone capabilities.

Speaking at the Türkiye-Belgium Defense Industry Day organized by the Secretariat of Turkish Defence Industries in Ankara, Francken said cooperation between Turkish and Belgian defense companies had expanded following earlier contacts between officials and industry representatives.

Expanding defense cooperation

Describing the event as an important networking platform, Francken said the gathering brought together entrepreneurs and defense firms with significant business opportunities.

“For me, foreign trade is about contacts and contracts,” he said, adding that Belgian and Turkish companies were expected to sign seven or eight agreements later Wednesday, while negotiations on several others were ongoing.

Baykar visit shaped Belgium’s defense outlook

Francken recalled visiting Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar three years ago with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, saying the company’s technological capabilities and research efforts had left a lasting impression on him.

“What I saw at Baykar – all those capabilities, the new technology, the innovation, the R&D, the drive and the growth – was mind-blowing for me,” he said.

The Belgian minister said he later told colleagues in Belgium that Türkiye was “way ahead” in defense modernization and unmanned warfare capabilities.

“We also need to modernize our army and armed forces and move toward more unmanned capabilities, innovation and adaptation of our armed forces. That is what they are doing here, and that is what we need to do as well,” he said.

Belgium boosts defense spending

Francken said one of his first decisions as defense minister had been appointing what he described as the world’s first “drone general” to help lead Belgium’s military transformation.

He also said Belgium was increasing its defense budget by 60%, describing it as the largest rise among NATO allies, while signaling that additional increases could follow.

“There are a lot of possibilities and opportunities, and I hope we will start to seize them today,” he said.

Türkiye sees visit as ‘historic’

Secretary of Turkish Defence Industries Haluk Gorgun said growing cooperation between the Turkish and Belgian defense sectors could contribute not only to both countries’ needs, but also to joint projects targeting allied nations and third markets.

Gorgun described the Belgian delegation’s visit as “historic” for Türkiye’s defense industry, noting that the program extended beyond the IDEF defense exhibition to include meetings in Ankara and visits to Turkish defense companies.

He said more than 4,000 companies operate in Türkiye’s defense sector and emphasized that cooperation opportunities ranged from platform-level systems to subsystems and components.

“We are not limited to seven or eight agreements. We are open to cooperation at every level,” Gorgun said, adding that further announcements could come ahead of upcoming NATO meetings and defense industry forums.

*Writing by Seyit Kurt from Istanbul