Rutte Makes Historic Statement in Brussels: NATO’s Largest Industrial Event to Take Place in Ankara

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has officially confirmed that Türkiye will assume a central role in the Alliance’s defence industry strategy. After visiting the ASELSAN Technology Base in Ankara on April 22, 2026, Rutte announced a historic decision at the NATO Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD) held in Brussels.

Secretary General Rutte announced that the NATO Defence Industry Forum, which will take place as part of the NATO Summit in Ankara on July 7-8, 2026, will be the most extensive industrial event in the Alliance’s history.

NATO’s Largest Defence Industry Event to be Held in Ankara

Addressing representatives of allied nations at the conference in Brussels immediately after his meetings in Ankara, Rutte spoke highly of Türkiye’s defence industry infrastructure. Stating that during his visit to ASELSAN, he examined the production lines and the work of young engineers, the Secretary General said, “We have decided to expand the size and impact of the Defence Industry Forum in Ankara. It will be the largest industrial event in NATO’s history. Yesterday, I toured the venue where the Forum will be held in Ankara; it is a magnificent place. I thought last year’s Forum in The Hague was quite good, but the one in Ankara will be much larger. I especially request intense participation from all allies and industry.”

Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün, President of the Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB), who attended the conference in Brussels where Rutte made these critical statements, held meetings with senior officials from Italy, the European Defence Agency, and NATO. In a statement released after the visit, Görgün said: “As the world goes through a period where unpredictability is beginning to become the basic norm, our R&D power and mass production capacity further strengthen our country’s strategic effectiveness in the field of defence industry. This position Türkiye has reached in the international arena is one of the most concrete indicators of the collective success of our national defence industry system, shaped in line with the vision set forth by our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.”

Türkiye Becomes a Central Country in the Defence Industry

It is assessed that this decision by NATO Secretary General Rutte more clearly reveals the successful global role Türkiye has recently been playing in the defence industry.

Active diplomacy carried out by the Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) is raising the share of Turkish companies in NATO and European Union markets to a record level. The strategic moves of the SSB, led by Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün, are ensuring that Türkiye enters a new era, not only militarily but also economically.

The Driving Force of Economic Transformation: The Defence Industry

In a recent statement, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek emphasised that the defence industry sector is a “recipe for salvation” for Türkiye. This production model, based on high-profit margins and advanced technology, plays a locomotive role in Türkiye’s technological transformation while enabling the country to achieve a “game-changer” position in the global market.

Battle-Proven Technology

In the changing global security architecture following the Ukraine-Russia war, the fact that Turkish defence industry products are “battle-proven” is maximising interest in their capabilities within the Alliance. An industrial base that has created KIZILELMA, the world’s first unmanned combat aircraft that destroys an aerial target detected by its own radar with its own developed air-to-air missile, is recognised as a critical security provider within NATO.

Source: C4Defence