President Ersin Tatar who is holding contacts in Türkiye attended the opening of the 7th Konya Defence Industry Supplier Meetings.
The meeting was also attended by the Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz.
Earlier on Wednesday, Tatar held a series of contacts in Bilecik where he met with Cyprus War Veterans and attended the opening ceremony of the Bilecik Sheikh Edebali University’s academic year.
Addressing the meeting’s opening ceremony, President Ersin Tatar underlined the importance of strengthening the Turkish Republic in the new century.
He said that this will no doubt add further strength to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Tatar added that they were working to develop the TRNC in cooperation with the Republic of Türkiye.
Indicating that the TRNC continued its development as an independent Turkish state, Tatar noted that the current Cyprus policy was being pursued jointly with Ankara.
Pointing out that a solution in Cyprus could only be found through the cooperation of two states, the TRNC president also drew attention to the importance of the continuation of Türkiye’s guarantees on the island, particularly when looking at the events in Gaza.
He added that a two-state solution and the continuation of Türkiye’s active and effective guarantees on the island were paramount for Cyprus’ and the region’s peace and security as the Turkish Armed Forces proved to be an effective deterrent against outside threats.
Tatar concluded his remarks by praising developments and progress in Türkiye’s defence industry, stating that it had not only become a regional power but also a global actor.
Also speaking, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz said that while the Turkish Republic was celebrating its 100th anniversary, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was celebrating 40 years.
Yılmaz also touched upon the revolution in the Turkish Republic’s defence industry in the last 20 years under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Highlighting Konya as the largest production centre in the defence industry, Yılmaz emphasized the importance of independence in the defence industry, stating that as the national defence industry develops, it will continue to contribute to regional and global peace.
Yılmaz noted that there are ongoing invisible embargoes and hindrances against Türkiye in the defence industry, but that it continued its national and domestic development.
He mentioned the ongoing progress in the development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs), warships, and other air, sea, land, and space defence systems.