Erdoğan speaks at Innovation Week: 'We have had no baggage'

President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke at the Turkey Innovation Week İnovalig Champions Award Ceremony held at the Haliç Congress Center.

Erdoğan stated the following:

"As of October, our exports for the last 12 months have reached 254.8 billion dollars. Furthermore, we have achieved an improvement of 7.3 billion dollars in the annual current account balance in the last 2 months.

We want to extend the success we have achieved in UAVs and UCAVs to missiles, ships, armored vehicles, cameras, air defense systems, and electronic warfare systems.

The increase in export figures is undoubtedly important, but what we as Turkey must focus on from now on is the increase in the quality of our exports.

SPECIAL PASSPORTS FOR 35 THOUSAND EXPORTERS

I have always said, my brothers and sisters, as long as you work, produce, and create employment. As long as you deliver this country's products to every corner of the world. As long as you continue to believe in Turkey's potential. With God's permission, we will never leave you alone. We have always acted with this understanding until today. We have made efforts to pave the way for you both domestically and abroad. Whether in meetings with heads of state visiting our country or during foreign trips, our priority agenda has always been your issues. 

Just as in our trip to Germany, we also brought the issues you conveyed to the agenda during our trip to Algeria. We have established and are continuing to establish all kinds of legal infrastructure to encourage you. We are constantly improving ourselves in terms of ensuring that customs procedures are carried out quickly, smoothly, and at the lowest cost. In this field, we are among the world's leading customs administrations in terms of technical capacity. We have implemented a passport regulation so that you can establish quick contact with your customers without waiting for visas. So far, we have issued special stamped passports to 35 thousand of our exporters. We are pleased to see that our exporters, including you, are making good use of these supports offered to them. 

EXPORT MESSAGE

When we took office, our country had an annual export volume of only 36.1 billion dollars; last year, it reached 252.4 billion dollars. With this growth rate, Turkey became the 3rd country among OECD nations to increase its exports the most.

As of October, our exports for the last 12 months have reached 254.8 billion dollars. A recovery of 7.3 billion dollars has been achieved in the annual current account balance over the last two months. We worked and sweated without paying attention to those who said we were finished, bankrupt, or ruined. We reaped the fruits of our efforts by reaching record export figures. 

UAVS AND UCAVS

We want to extend the successes we have achieved in UAVs and UCAVs to missiles, armored vehicles, cameras, and electronic warfare systems. We were procuring the optical cameras used in unmanned aerial vehicles from Canada. Due to our cross-border operations against terrorist nests, the Canadian company stopped deliveries, followed by an embargo decision from the Canadian government. Faced with this approach from our ally, we immediately instructed ASELSAN. Our colleagues worked day and night in full mobilization, producing 15-20 cameras per month and began supplying them to our domestic UAVs.

Now we are developing a superior version of the cameras. Our camera, which can detect tanks from 80 kilometers away, has the best performance in the world. We plan to start mass production of this camera system as of February 2024. 

"TOGG" AND "KAAN" CRITICISMS

This time, we encountered the obstacles of the opposition within us. Whatever they said to stifle the DEVRİM automobile project, they targeted Togg with the same words and the same arguments. They said Turks cannot make automobiles, and they even lost control to the point of claiming that the cars, which are the product of our workers' and engineers' labor, were brought from abroad. They did not even bother to spare a day to visit the Togg production facility. They insist on continuing their lies about Togg. They are voicing the same delusions for our 5th-generation fighter jet, KAAN. We are focusing on our work. 

"WE HAVE HAD NO BAGGAGE TO BE HELD AGAINST US"

We will share the same concerns as our brothers and sisters in Gaza. At no point in our history have we consented to oppression. We have not been involved in genocide or exploitation. We have had no baggage that would make our people bow their heads in shame, feel embarrassed, or be held against us by anyone. We are not in debt; on the contrary, we are the creditors. Turkey means a safe haven to take refuge in during difficult times. To be Turkish is to be remembered with kindness and longing. We will either find a way or we will pave one, but by any means necessary, we will not be among those who are left behind.