Görgün made a statement to the AA correspondent within the scope of the Turkey-Saudi Arabia Defense Industry Days organized by the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), SAHA Istanbul and Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) in Istanbul on 11-12 November.
Görgün stated that Türkiye has gained significant experience in the defense industry, especially in the last 20 years, and that they are conducting cooperation negotiations at different levels to share this knowledge with friendly and allied countries.
Emphasizing that Saudi Arabia is one of Türkiye's brother and good ally countries, Görgün stated that meetings, negotiations and coordination activities were held between the two countries to share experience in the defense industry.
Görgün pointed out the importance of expanding these contacts, establishing contact with end users and moving cooperation to different areas, and noted that the studies cover topics such as procurement, research and development, human resource development and program management.
Görgün stated that the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), which Saudi Arabia established in 2018 within the scope of the 2030 Vision, was created in a structure similar to the Presidency of Defense Industries in Türkiye in terms of philosophy and function, and stated that in the same period, the General Authority for Defense Development (GADD) was established and put into operation to manage the Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) for the activities of the companies and the research and development processes.
Görgün stated that Türkiye is working in interaction with all of these institutions in Saudi Arabia and continued:
"We are creating programs that will bring our Turkish companies together with local partners in Saudi Arabia. Our comprehensive discussions continue on research and development, increasing human capacity, creating talents and competencies, managing infrastructures and research programs, improving program and procurement processes, and determining joint investment areas."
Stating that studies are currently being carried out for Turkish defense industry companies to establish sustainable partnerships in the Saudi Arabian market, Görgün stated that they are in intensive contact with GAMI and the Ministry of Defense of Saudi Arabia in this context.
Görgün stated that they have created programs that will bring together Turkish companies with local partners and local capacity in Saudi Arabia through the Presidency of Defense Industries, and said that there are successful examples implemented in this field.
Emphasizing that the defense industry is based on high technology and has a wide field of activity, Görgün stated that Turkish companies carry out important studies worldwide in different fields and develop cost-effective products that provide superiority over their competitors.
Görgün stated that they have been evaluating the grounds on which these companies can cooperate with local partners in Saudi Arabia for a long time and said, "There are also examples of applications that will mature and that we will share immediately. There are also studies that we will put forward in the long term." he said.
Expressing that the defense industry sector can contribute to long-term economic relations within the framework of strategic relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, Görgün said that the sector includes many fields and disciplines where high technology is produced, competition is intense and knowledge is developed and advanced over the years.
Görgün stated that the original designs and products developed with the knowledge gained in the defense industry are not limited to just meeting defense needs, and noted that these studies have enabled the development of local products, platforms and solutions in civilian areas over time.
Stating that there are various examples of this in Türkiye and the world, Görgün stated that the solutions developed by defense industry companies in the fields of health, energy, transportation and city security are used both in Türkiye and abroad.
Görgün stated that they shared these experience-based models with their Saudi Arabian counterparts and stated that the cooperation between the two countries can contribute to different sectors as well as the defense industry.
Pointing out that Türkiye has a wide production and supply ecosystem in the defense industry, Görgün stated that the number of companies operating in the sector, including main contractors and SMEs, is over 4 thousand.
Görgün pointed out the importance of this ecosystem working in coordination and said that they coordinated the functioning between companies through the Presidency of Defense Industries and created the necessary structures to strengthen the supply chain and prevent vulnerabilities.
Expressing that Türkiye's experience in this field is also valued by friendly and allied countries, Görgün noted that they continue to share this knowledge.
Görgün stated that the Turkey-Saudi Arabia Defense Industry Days held in Istanbul were designed as a platform that will contribute to the transformation of this cooperation into concrete results, and stated that the organization aims to increase the interaction between Turkish and Saudi Arabian companies.
Stating that the event was organized by SAHA Istanbul, the Presidency of Defense Industries and Saudi Arabia with the contributions of SAMI, Görgün said that the program was transformed into a platform where cooperation opportunities between companies are evaluated and enriched with bilateral business meetings.
Görgün emphasized that the contacts between Türkiye and Saudi Arabia in the field of defense industry continue intensively and said, "We have held more than 75 meetings in this context in the last three years." he said.
Stating that he attended a significant part of the meetings, Görgün stated that this number shows that the teams, different teams, institutes and institutions of the two countries come together on average twice a month.
Finally, Görgün evaluated that the results of intensive contacts will be positive and beneficial for both the two countries and the region.
