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Turkiye: Agreements signed in industry and technology opened the door to new collaborations

Aiming to strengthen its national industry and technology moves, Turkiye focused on new international collaborations with the agreements it signed this year in various fields, from space to SMEs.

It is aimed to transform the country, which is moving forward with the goal of “Turkiye’s Century” after the 100th anniversary of the Republic, into a production, investment and export base.

In this context, special importance is given to international cooperation in almost every field, from energy to trade, from agriculture to industry. The international agreements that Turkiye has recently signed in the fields of industry and technology are also seen as strategic steps.

Dialogue with countries has come to the fore since June 4, when Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacir took office. Kacir visited the USA, China, India, Belgium, Qatar, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Hungary and held various meetings. Cooperation evaluations were also made with foreign ministers visiting Turkiye. In this context, 9 agreements were signed.

From UAVs to artificial intelligence

The agreements signed spanned various fields, from space to artificial intelligence, from unmanned aerial vehicles to communication technologies.

It was decided to establish mutual cooperation with Ukraine in the field of strategic industries. In this context, joint projects will be supported in the field of autonomous systems, especially unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and engine R&D, production and maintenance activities.

While aiming to cooperate with Austria on production and investment ecosystems, the Customs Union and visa exemption were identified as critical areas.

It is aimed to reflect the accelerating political relations between Turkiye and Egypt in industrial investments. Preparations have begun for a common and comprehensive industrial cooperation agreement with this country.

While deepening cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the fields of direct investment, defense industry, energy, defense and communication, it was decided to implement joint studies, especially in the field of artificial intelligence.

Two memorandums of understanding and one international agreement were signed with the UAE in the fields of defense to digital transformation, development of joint launch vehicle capabilities and mutual promotion and protection of investments. It is expected that these agreements will be quickly implemented by the new year.

A $60 million strategic cooperation agreement was signed with Qatar for the first production of 65 nanometer chips in Turkiye. With this agreement, memorandums of understanding were also signed in the field of scientific cooperation and information technologies.

Strategic agreements with international organizations

Minister Kacir’s visit to the USA also opened the door to new collaborations. During the meeting with Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, cooperation on Starlink satellites and electric vehicles was evaluated.

Participating in the G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting held in India, Kacir met with leading companies in the fields of health, education, financial technologies and circular economy and explained Turkiye’s investment opportunities.

During his visit to China, the world’s leading electric vehicle and battery manufacturers were invited to invest in Turkiye.

Agreements signed with various international organizations also stood out in terms of cooperation. While a $450 million financing agreement was implemented with the World Bank within the scope of the “Turkiye Green Industry Project”, a $450 million agreement was signed for the provinces affected by the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaras on February 6. $300 million of financing was provided for the green transformation of OIZs.

Turkiye also participated in the Digital Europe Program with a budget of €7.5 billion in order to strengthen its support for the digital transformation of companies.

In addition, the Ministry has become a partner of the NATO Innovation Fund, the world’s first multinational venture capital fund of €1 billion that will finance critical technologies, as well as Europe’s largest deep technology fund.

Defense industry and space collaborations are developing

The International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) held in Istanbul and the SAHA-EDGE Defense Industry Meeting held in Ankara witnessed cooperation agreements in these areas.

During Minister Kacir’s visit to Hungary, a memorandum of understanding was signed in the field of defense industry.

One of the prominent topics during the visits was cooperation in the field of space. Turkiye also hosted many foreign guests at 3 TEKNOFESTs this year. International interaction in this field has been increased.

In addition, Turkiye has also obtained the right to organize the “International Space Congress” in Antalya in 2026.

Alper Gezeravcı and Tuva Cihangir Atasever were determined as Turkiye’s first space travelers. Gezeravci is planned to start space travel next month.

Preparations have accelerated for the launch of the first national communications satellite, Turksat 6A, into space in 2024 and the lunar vehicle in 2026.

Antarctic and Arctic expeditions

The Turkish delegation has organized 7 expeditions to Antarctica and 3 to the Arctic so far. 116 Turkish scientists were enabled to conduct research in the polar regions. As a result of these efforts, 252 scientific outputs were produced.

The Third Arctic Scientific Research Expedition team gained an international dimension with the inclusion of 3 scientists from Brazil, Czech Republic and Norway.

Source: Trthaber / Prepared by Irem Yildiz

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