SAHA 2026 International Defense, Aerospace Industry Fair, organized at Istanbul Expo Center with the organization of SAHA Istanbul, Turkey’s and Europe’s largest defense, aviation and space industry cluster, has started. At the opening ceremony, President of Defense Industries Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün addressed the visitors. Görgün said the following: Dear Ministers, Esteemed President and Managers of SAHA Istanbul, Esteemed Delegation Representatives from Friendly and Allied Countries, Esteemed Representatives of our Industry, Esteemed Participants, Esteemed Members of the Press, I greet you with respect and affection.
I am very pleased to be with you today as a part of this magnificent picture. SAHA 2026 Fair, organized by SAHA Istanbul, which has become a global brand, with the motto “Dominate Technology, Shape the Future”; I hope it will bring good things to our country, friendly and allied countries, our industry and all our participants. I would like to thank my colleagues at the Presidency of Defense Industries, SAHA Istanbul and all our stakeholder institutions who contributed to the organization of our fair.
I congratulate all our companies that took part in our fair with their products, technologies and capabilities. I would like to say “Welcome” to all our guests who come to our beautiful Istanbul from all over the world. Dear guests, SAHA 2026 is beyond being a fair; It is a strategic meeting point that shows the level our defense, aviation and space ecosystem has reached. This journey, which started in a small area in 2018, has today turned into an organization followed with great interest on a global scale.
The stand area has increased with each organization and reached 120 thousand square meters today. This success; It is the product of the capabilities, self-confidence and production power that Turkey has achieved as a result of the development march it started almost a quarter of a century ago. Behind these successes lies the unshakable will of our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, strategy, vision, hard work, mental effort, engineering, and love of the country.
However, we never consider the point we have reached as sufficient. We still have areas to focus on and new generation capabilities to develop. Areas such as quantum technologies, sensors, data networks, satellite systems, cyber capabilities, autonomous capabilities, artificial intelligence applications, electronic warfare endurance and system integration have become the factors that will determine the future. In this context, we see our National Competence Move as extremely important.
Lasting success; It is possible with human resources, engineering capacity, production discipline and quality culture. As important as designing a system is, testing that system is just as important. Supporting it in the field is as important as producing it, and continuously improving it is as important as certifying it. As the Presidency of Defense Industries, we are working to strengthen every link of this competence chain.
This approach has led us to build an ecosystem that brings together all stakeholders of our defense industry around the same goal. Dear guests, The strength of our defense industry cannot be measured only by our major prime contractors. The contribution of our subcontractors, SMEs, technopark companies and research centers is very valuable. The knowledge of our universities and the dynamism of our young enterprises are decisive for the future of this ecosystem.
With the work we do as the Presidency; We support the integration of our technology initiatives into large projects. We enable university-industry collaborations to produce more concrete outputs. SAHA EXPO offers a very valuable meeting ground in this respect. Here, our main contractors will meet new suppliers, and our SMEs will contact global companies. Our young startups will meet with investors. Joint production and technology development models with friendly and allied countries will be evaluated.
In addition to all the opportunities it provides, SAHA 2026 also stands out with its comprehensive program. Product launches, signing ceremonies, B2B, G2B, G2G meetings and investor meetings will be held throughout the fair. Future technologies will be discussed in depth at events and panels. Thus, SAHA 2026 is not just a fair; It will be a multi-dimensional technology, collaboration and experience sharing platform. Dear participants, This multidimensional structure we have has placed new responsibilities on our shoulders in the international arena.
Turkey’s approach on this issue is clear. We offer our power to the service of stability, not chaos. We see our technology as a guarantor of peace and security, not a tool of tension. With this understanding; In the last 12 months, we exported a total of 10.5 billion dollars of defense and aerospace to 185 countries. We aim to exceed 11 billion dollars soon and move Turkey among the top 10 countries in the world in defense and aerospace exports.
We are confident that we will achieve this goal, because now there is a Türkiye that not only sets goals in the defense industry, but also reaches the goals it sets step by step. There is a Türkiye that trusts the wisdom of its own engineer. There is a Türkiye that protects the labor of its own industrialists. There is a Türkiye that invests in the dreams of its young people. There is a Türkiye that develops its own technology and presents it to the world.
SAHA 2026 is one of the most powerful showcases of Turkey. The biggest share in the level our defense industry has reached today belongs to our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, with his vision and unwavering leadership. On this occasion, I would like to express my gratitude to your statesmen. The direction we will follow in the coming period is clear. We will reset foreign dependency in critical technologies. We will grow our exports sustainably.
We will further increase the global competitiveness of our companies. We will strengthen the cooperation between the public, industry and academia. We will make the link between the main contractor and SMEs more efficient. We will develop our human resources in line with our technological goals. In achieving these goals, it is vital to develop new cooperations based on trust with friendly and allied countries. Dear guests, I would like to particularly address the esteemed ministers, official delegations, supply authorities and industry representatives who attended our fair from friendly and allied countries.
Türkiye is a reliable, experienced and long-term-minded companion in the defense industry. Our understanding of cooperation is not limited to product sales only. We; We believe in an industrial approach based on common wisdom, common effort and common capability. This approach; It is based on co-development, co-production and establishing a win-win relationship. Today, Turkish defense industry companies are in different geographies of the world not only with their products; It also creates value with its engineering know-how, integration capability, maintenance experience and training infrastructure.
We are ready to transform this knowledge into stronger partnerships with friendly and allied countries. We can develop flexible models that take into account each country’s own industrial priorities, local competencies and security needs. We care about fair and sustainable partnerships instead of one-sided dependencies. Our call is clear: Let’s go beyond commercial relations based solely on buying and selling in the defense industry.
Let’s build trust-based, long-term and sustainable partnerships together. Let’s find solutions together not only for today’s needs but also for tomorrow’s security challenges. This understanding is also of particular importance for our relations with our NATO allies. The NATO Summit and Defense Industry Forum to be held in our country next July will provide an extremely valuable basis in this regard. The Forum in question will be the largest defense industry event organized by NATO to date.
As Türkiye, we do not see this process only as a diplomatic contact calendar. At the same time, we consider it as a strategic opportunity that will deepen defense industry cooperation with our allies, make our supply chains more resilient and strengthen the understanding of joint capability development. I believe that the contacts to be established at SAHA 2026 will create a strong preparation basis for this great meeting.
Every step to be taken here; I wholeheartedly believe that it will contribute to our collective security. Dear guests, With these feelings and thoughts; I hope that SAHA 2026 will be an event where new projects are started, new partnerships are established and new export opportunities arise. I expect this organization to produce permanent collaborations that will shape the future of our defense industry. As I conclude my words, I would like to thank all our stakeholders, especially my colleagues at SAHA Istanbul and the Presidency of Defense Industries, who contributed to the organization of the event.
I congratulate all our companies, institutions, engineers, technicians and colleagues who took part in our fair. I hope that SAHA 2026 International Defense, Aerospace Industry Fair will be beneficial for our country, our sector and all our stakeholders, and I respectfully greet you all.
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