İYİ Party MP Karakaş criticizes chip procurement: "Why are we buying from abroad when ASELSAN exists?"

İYİ Party Aydın MP Ömer Karakaş has voiced his criticisms regarding the National Vehicle Identification System (UTTS), stating that the chips to be used in the system are manufactured in Israel. Arguing that the system could pose a risk to national security, Karakaş reacted to the procurement of chips from abroad instead of domestic companies like ASELSAN.

CLAIM THAT "CHIPS ARE BEING BOUGHT FROM ISRAEL"

In his speech at the Parliament, Karakaş stated that the chips in the UTTS project were imported from Israel, and he reiterated this claim in his assessment given to the Sözcü newspaper.

Karakaş said the following:

"An Israeli firm produces the chip for 1 dollar, a firm in Turkey buys it for 8 dollars, and then sells it to the Mint for 30 dollars. This project looks like a scheme that will lead to unfair profits being made from the pockets of citizens and should be cancelled immediately."

"NATIONAL PROJECT POSES A SECURITY RISK"

Expressing his concerns regarding the project, Karakaş argued that the Israeli-made chips used in the system could pose a national security risk.

"President Erdoğan sees Israel as the greatest threat. Well, in this case, is there any guarantee that our fuel tanks will not be blown up with a single button? This could be a security threat," he said.

"ASELSAN CAN PRODUCE THESE CHIPS"

Stating that the chips in question should be produced by ASELSAN, a domestic and national institution, Karakaş used the following expressions:

"They call it the ‘National Vehicle Identification System,’ but this system has nothing to do with being national; on the contrary, it could turn into a national threat. If there is a real need for such a project, the chips should be produced by ASELSAN. If you talk about domestic and national production, then our domestic institutions should be the ones winning in this project."

"PRIORITY SHOULD BE GIVEN TO THE USE OF NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY"

While emphasizing that the use of national technology should be encouraged in projects like UTTS, Karakaş stated that thanks to domestic production, both security risks could be prevented and contributions could be made to the economy.

"When there is a leading institution in the defense industry like ASELSAN, turning to imported products is not the right approach. Such projects need to support the production power of our national institutions," he concluded.