U.S. officials have expressed a request for Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar to open a production facility in the U.S., Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hinted on Saturday, emphasizing the importance of a two-way exchange of technology and defense, as well as Ankara's own capabilities.
"Just the other day, I was at a meeting and there were requests and events there regarding the technology produced by Baykar, which could be a production area within the U.S., and the U.S. could benefit from this advanced technology in Türkiye," Fidan told reporters at Turkish House (Türkevi) in New York.
On the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) sanctions imposed by the U.S. against Türkiye, Fidan stated that the existence of a legal restriction between two NATO allies that prevents them from receiving anything from each other constitutes a "major systemic problem."
The minister's remarks came following recent high-level talks between Turkish and U.S. officials and a meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. President Donald Trump – a first since he returned to the White House.
Ahead of the meeting with Trump, Erdoğan reiterated his call for the removal of restrictions on defense industry cooperation with the U.S.
During Trump’s first term, the U.S. removed Türkiye, a NATO ally, from its flagship F-35 fighter jet program after Ankara purchased a Russian air defense system.
Stating that technical issues related to the F-35 fighter jets and the KAAN National Combat Aircraft are awaiting in the U.S. Congress, Fidan said that "the systemic limitations in our relationship with the U.S. will inevitably push us to pursue different approaches in the international system."
"We are already developing our own capabilities," he furthered, adding that there is no issue regarding this, stressing, however, that no country is self-sufficient with its own capabilities and the countries, therefore, are required to have an alliance culture and a defense industry ecosystem.
Türkiye, which boasts NATO's second-largest army, has developed domestic capabilities in the defense sector over the years by producing various systems and platforms, including the world-renowned Bayraktar drones, made by Baykar.
These drones have proven themselves on the battlefield and have been exported to dozens of countries worldwide.
Fidan stated at a meeting he attended that U.S. officials requested that the technologies produced by Baykar could serve as a production area for the U.S. and that Türkiye could benefit from this advanced technology. He added that the CAATSA issue was not unilateral but was now evolving into a bilateral one, following Türkiye's development of its own capabilities.
"The issue we are sensitive about is the existence of limitations, restrictions between the two countries," he added.
Furthermore, he emphasized the importance of cooperation in the energy sector between the two countries, stating that there is a consensus on what can be done, including nuclear energy and natural gas and that concrete steps can be taken.
Regarding the Trump-Erdoğan meeting, Fidan said, "As I've stated in general, it was an exceptionally good meeting with concrete outcomes. Leaders need to meet regularly anyway."
He also noted that there are ongoing policies between the two countries in areas such as trade, technology, education, defense, foreign policy and regional issues. He added that bureaucrats, businesspeople and ministers are driving these processes, but that this is made possible by the will of the elected leaders at the top.
