Turkiye, Serbia agree to cooperate in developing defence industries

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan revealed his country’s decision to cooperate with Serbia in developing defence industries on Friday, noting that Turkish-Serbian relations are experiencing their “golden era”.

During a press conference with his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vučić in Belgrade, Erdoğan confirmed that Turkiye’s investments in Serbia have increased from $1 million to $405 million over the past 12 years. He noted that the trade volume between the two sides has exceeded $2 billion for two consecutive years.

The Turkish president, who arrived in Serbia on an official visit, the second of its kind in two years, pointed out that 11 agreements were signed during the visit: “Which will strengthen the foundations of relations.”

Erdoğan explained that Ankara and Belgrade decided to develop their defence industries jointly: “We must take steps together, but these must be the constitution of a defence industry based on the protection of peace. Turkiye’s drone capabilities will, of course, be part of the steps taken on the defence industry.”

In recent years, Turkiye has emerged strongly in the combat drone industry, as Ankara has a large arsenal of drones and is always keen to showcase its capabilities to strengthen its presence in export markets.

According to the Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah, Ankara has managed to reduce its foreign dependence on defence from about 80 per cent in the early 2000s to about 20 per cent currently.

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