World leaders gathering in Ankara... A big event. Recognition of Turkey's importance and effectiveness in global affairs... A big event. In the Middle East, a ring of fire, being seen as the key country for regional stability... A big event. The second NATO summit in Turkey since 2004... And the first time Ankara hosts such a magnificent event... A big event. Let's rejoice... Let's boast... Let's be proud.
And let's not make it fodder for party politics and daily sterile bickering. *** DEFENSE INDUSTRY Mark Rutte... NATO Secretary General... What he said before the summit is very important: Turkey is an extremely important country for NATO. It has one of NATO's strongest armies. The Turkish Armed Forces are highly equipped and well-trained. And...
Having a massive defense industry infrastructure consisting of nearly 3,000 companies is also a significant advantage. Mark Rutte was in Ankara in April. He visited ASELSAN. If only... he could have also toured TUSAŞ... ROKETSAN... BAYKAR... HAVELSAN... FNSS... Not to mention... we have other defense industry institutions and organizations. *** DID YOU KNOW?
That Turkish defense and aerospace industry products are exported to 178 countries around the world... Did you know? In the last year, export revenue from defense industry products... 10.9 billion dollars. And a detail. In the last year... The increase in sales is 47.1 percent. The most sales, however... to NATO countries. Turkey... is no longer just a supplier in the global defense industry...
It is in a position of a leading actor that develops technology and establishes joint production models. *** GLORIOUS ARMY Mustafa Kemal's soldiers... The Turkish Armed Forces... Today, with 884,000 personnel, it is NATO's fourth largest military force. The USA... France... The UK... And great Turkey. Here is the glorious army that inspires confidence in friends and fear in enemies. *** LIFEBLOOD FOR THE ECONOMY Hotels in Ankara are full... 100 percent... Occupancy started before the summit.
Leaders of 32 NATO member countries... Plus leaders specially invited by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Ministers... Senior diplomats... Representatives of international organizations... Media members... Over 3,000. Security teams... Support staff. In short... Even if only for a few days, an increase of over 10,000 foreigners in Ankara. A great vitality for Ankara's economy... It would be fitting to call it 'lifeblood'.
Hotels... Restaurants... Transportation... Logistics... Daily shopping... Souvenirs. Ah! If only such large organizations could be held in other Turkish cities. *** DISTINGUISHED GUESTS The President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey, Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, hosted his distinguished guests. Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler. US Deputy Secretary of Defense. Representatives of Turkish and American defense industry companies.
I spoke with Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu. He talked about the strength of our defense industry... how both NATO member and non-member countries are impressed by this strength and their cooperation proposals. And today... he said a larger meeting will be held. At ATO Congresium... the Congress and Exhibition Center. Participants... top executives of defense industry companies from NATO countries. And ours too, of course. *** PROMOTION EXPLOSION Istanbul...
In 2023, it was chosen as the world's most popular city... by BBC Travel. According to data published by Euromonitor International, it is one of the five most visited and most popular cities in the world. And Ankara? It doesn't have the same recognition, the same visits, the same popularity. TOBB President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu said, 'We created a promotion explosion.' - Promotion of Turkey... Promotion of Ankara...
Even if we spent billions, we couldn't have achieved such promotion... Its impact will be better understood over time. *** BEYOND THE SUMMIT The Ankara summit is far beyond just a NATO meeting... a leaders' gathering. For Turkey, it is also far beyond diplomatic hosting. In the changing world order, what kind of alliance will NATO become? How will Europe's security be reshaped?
What role will Turkey, the key country of the Middle East, assume in this new world order... in the new security architecture? That is why... the Ankara summit carries meanings beyond the summit. *** A PAGE FROM DEEP HISTORY The white revolution... The elections of May 14, 1950... The end of the Republican People's Party's 27-year rule. And the Democratic Party's coming to power.
İsmet İnönü, whose presidency ended, left Çankaya Mansion and withdrew to his home... to Pembe Köşk. Celal Bayar... now the President... the new host of Çankaya Mansion. No handover ceremony was held for this important change of office. In the early days of his presidency, Bayar requests an appointment with İnönü... visits him at Pembe Köşk. A one-on-one meeting. Celal Bayar asks: - Pasha...
There are matters so important that they are not even in the state's most secret archives... Information vital to the state... Do you have anything to tell me in this regard? - I do, Celal Bey. And... two important figures of the War of Independence... İsmet İnönü and Celal Bayar talk at length. At the end of the conversation, Celal Bayar says, 'Pasha': - I have one more question... Why didn't you join NATO? - They didn't let us, Celal Bey...
If they had, wouldn't we have joined? A few days pass. This time, İsmet İnönü visits President Celal Bayar at Çankaya Mansion... conveys his congratulations. Süleyman Demirel had told me these things. Turkey... officially became a NATO member on February 18, 1952. And today... Turkey is one of NATO's strongest countries.
