Otokar and Nurol Makina, land vehicle manufacturers of the Turkish defense industry, will export approximately 230 4X4 and 6X6 armored combat vehicles to Estonia.
A contract signing ceremony was held in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, for the 4X4 and 6X6 vehicles that will be offered to the security forces by the Estonian Center for Defense Investments (ECDI).
At the ceremony, a Letter of Intent was signed by Minister of National Defense Yasar Guler and Estonian Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur, and a protocol for cooperation in the defense industry of the two countries was signed by Presidential Defense Industry President Haluk Gorgun and Estonian Center for Defense Investments (ECDI) General Manager Magnus Valdemar Saar.
Later, contracts were signed between ECDI and Otokar for the supply of ARMA 6X6, and between Nurol Makina for the supply of NMS (YORUK) 4X4 armored combat vehicle. The contracts were signed by Otokar Deputy General Manager Sedef Vehbi and Nurol Makina General Manager Engin Aykol.
According to the information given at the ceremony, around 230 vehicles will be offered to the use of Estonian security forces for approximately €200 million within the scope of the contracts.
In his speech at the ceremony, Minister Guler said that the signed letter of intent will further the excellent relations between the two countries and allow the defense industry and companies to cooperate more.
Emphasizing that there are very good relations between the two countries based on mutual respect, Guler pointed out that the 100th anniversary of bilateral relations will be celebrated next year. Guler said, “Relations in the defense industry will bring the two countries closer. The products of Turkish companies will further strengthen the Estonian army and contribute to regional security. The agreement of intent will further develop good relations.”
Estonian Defense Minister Pevkur also stated that relations between the two countries, especially in the defense industry, will increase significantly in the second 100 years of relations.
Stating that they are working on various projects as the defense industry, Pevkur said, “After the Ukraine-Russia war, we realized that we did not have much time to strengthen the defense. We heard very good things about these vehicles. Estonian defense industry companies can also provide a lot of things to the Turkish army. NATO is a great military power. The developments in Ukraine and Israel have once again confirmed the importance of keeping this great power together. I am very pleased to sign this letter of intent. It will further our cooperation in the defense industry.”
“We can work on joint projects”
Presidency Defense Industry President Gorgun said that they started cooperation in the field of defense with their NATO ally Estonia with the signed agreements and contracts.
Expressing that Estonia’s defense and security is of great importance for Turkiye, Gorgun said:
“We are always ready to offer cost-effective, fast delivery solutions at NATO standards for all your defense and security needs. Our defense industry companies, in particular, have proven themselves in the field with state-of-the-art armored vehicles and have become among the leading manufacturers in the world. Our armored vehicles are successfully used by many armies around the world.
The protocol we signed shows that we have full confidence in our companies and I would like to emphasize that we will give our full support to the projects you will carry out with Nurol Makina and Otokar. You can be sure that we will provide the same level of support to the Estonian Ministry of Defense and the Estonian Defense Forces in all other areas as well as in armored vehicle projects. We believe that we can cooperate in various areas to meet the needs of the Estonian Defense Forces. We can work on joint production projects and joint ventures to meet your needs while leveraging critical technologies from the Estonian defense industry. Defense industry companies of both countries can cooperate in meeting the needs of not only our own countries but also third countries.”
ECDI General Manager Magnus Valdemar Saar said that they decided to work with Turkish suppliers to increase the opportunities available to the Estonian security forces.
Stating that they have made small contracts with Turkish companies in the past, Saar emphasized that this time they will implement an ambitious plan with many difficulties. Saar thanked Turkish companies for their strong support and efforts to create a reliable supply chain.
After the speeches and signing ceremonies, the parties to the agreements presented each other with gifts in memory of the day.
Source: Trthaber / Prepared by Irem Yildiz