The event began with the reading of a message from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The opening program of ICDDA’24 was attended by the President of the Presidency of Defence Industries of the Republic of Turkey, Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün, the President of the Ankara Chamber of Industry, Seyit Ardıç, the President of the Ankara Chamber of Commerce, Gürsel Baran, military officials, embassy representatives, military and commercial attachés, representatives of the main defense and aerospace industry companies, and SMEs.
OSSA Chairman of the Board, İbrahim Yarsan, began his speech with Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's words: "Societies that want to live comfortably without working, without tiring themselves, without producing, are doomed to lose first their dignity, then their freedom, and then their independence and future." Yarsan emphasized that a production ecosystem has been formed thanks to the support of main industrial firms to subcontractors. Highlighting the importance of this production ecosystem for SMEs, İbrahim Yarsan stated that they are working to develop and carry the ICDDA event into the future, and invited all participants to the event planned for 2026.
OSTİM Organized Industrial Zone Chairman Orhan Aydın recalled OSTİM's history of work in the defense industry. Highlighting the defense industry ecosystem that has formed in Ankara, Aydın said, “We discovered that it was necessary to create a cluster together with universities to make this industrial ecosystem more systematic and to bring it together with examples from around the world. By hosting this event, we created Turkey's first defense and aerospace cluster. We have two major supporters in doing this. None of this would have been possible without the Presidency of the Defense Industry. On the commercial side, we also have the Ministry of Trade and the UR-GE support they provide.”
Aydın noted that Turkish companies wanted to receive a larger share of the contract in THY's new acquisition. Thanking THY officials for the $20 billion contract, Aydın stated, "As Turkish industry and industrialists, we want to get a larger share of this. We have the capability to do so."
Ankara Chamber of Commerce President Gürsel Baran emphasized that the Turkish defense industry is experiencing its golden age. Baran continued: “These successes, achieved under the leadership of the Presidency of the Defense Industry, are largely due to the roles of our universities, R&D centers, civil society organizations, and SMEs. Valuable structures like OSSA have also contributed to Ankara's strong position in the defense industry.”
The OSTİM Defense and Aerospace Cluster (OSSA), formed through the collaborative efforts of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) producing goods and services for the defense industry, is a very important structure. We follow OSSA's extensive work with pride and interest, ranging from increasing the share of domestic production and making defense industry SMEs competitive in the international market to opening up to foreign markets with final products and technology transfer. I believe that this event will provide significant opportunities for main industry and SME firms working in the military and civil defense, aviation, and space sectors to find new markets, develop export connections, seize business opportunities, and expand their networks.”
Seyit Ardıç, President of the Ankara Chamber of Industry, stated that Turkey has become a power that carries out national and domestic production in the defense industry.
Ardıç emphasized that events like ICDDA will enable greater cooperation and interaction within the international defense and aerospace sectors, stating, “OSSA’s work is not limited to domestic firms but also provides significant contributions to the sector by facilitating international collaborations. It has provided an important platform for bringing together domestic and foreign stakeholders to identify areas of potential cooperation.”
The President of the Turkish Presidency's Defence Industry Directorate, Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün, emphasized the importance of the current state of the defense industry, stating, “We have much work to do and many collaborations to develop together. Events like this provide important platforms for this. We prioritize the sustainable growth of our sector. We are aware that our main challenge is managing this growth. For this reason, we pay special attention to creating national and international collaborations and business platforms.”
Görgün, noting that their support for ICDDA will continue, stated, “We will always be a supporter of the defense and aerospace industry and will do everything in our power. I believe that all participating companies will benefit maximally from the synergy created in the organization. I hope that the event will lead to new and strong collaborations and bring good fortune to our sector and our country.”
Following the opening ceremony, the Head of the Defence Industry, Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün, visited the stands of the participating companies.
The event, featuring panels and bilateral business meetings, will continue until Friday, April 19, 2024.
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