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Türkiye is building programs to bring Turkish defense companies together with local partners in Saudi Arabia, Defense Industry Agency (SSB) President Haluk Gorgun said, adding that the two countries have held more than 75 meetings on defense industry cooperation in the past three years.
"We are creating programs that will bring our Turkish companies together with local partners in Saudi Arabia," Gorgun told Türkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) at the Türkiye-Saudi Arabia Defense Industry Days in Istanbul on Nov. 11-12.
"Comprehensive talks are continuing on research and development, increasing human capacity, building capabilities and competencies, managing infrastructure and research programs, improving program and procurement processes, and identifying areas of joint investment," he said.
The event, organized by the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), SAHA Istanbul and Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI), brought together more than 100 Turkish and over 25 Saudi companies for business-to-business meetings.
"In the last three years, we have held more than 75 meetings in this context," Gorgun said, adding that he attended many of them. The figure shows teams, institutes and institutions from both countries meeting on average twice a month, he said.
Gorgun described Saudi Arabia as one of Türkiye’s "brotherly and good allies" and said cooperation covers procurement, R&D, human resource development and program management. Türkiye works with all relevant Saudi institutions, he said: the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), founded in 2018 under Vision 2030 and similar in philosophy to the SSB; SAMI; and the General Authority for Defense Development (GADD), which manages R&D. Talks are most intensive with GAMI and the Saudi Defense Ministry.
"There are implementation examples that will mature and that we will share soon. There is also work we will put forward in the long term," the Turkish defense industry chief said, citing successful examples already in place.
Gorgun said original designs and products developed with defense know-how also enable local civilian products and solutions, noting that Turkish defense firms' solutions in health, energy, transportation and urban security are used at home and abroad.
Türkiye shares these models with its Saudi counterparts, he said, adding cooperation could benefit sectors beyond defense.
Türkiye’s defense ecosystem includes more than 4,000 prime contractors and small and medium-sized enterprises, coordinated through the SSB to strengthen supply chains and prevent vulnerabilities, he said.
"We believe the results of these intensive contacts will be positive and beneficial for both countries and the region," the Turkish defense industry chief noted.
"We have much to learn from Türkiye’s experience in the defense industry. The challenges in the region require us to work in close cooperation to localize many industrial sectors," said Bandar bin Ibrahim Al-Khorayef, Saudi Arabia’s minister of state and acting governor of GAMI.
Khorayef, a former industry and mineral resources minister, said cooperation with Türkiye advanced after Saudi Arabia announced its industry and mining strategies. Riyadh has made significant progress in attracting defense investment and aims to increase it through Turkish-Saudi partnerships, he said.
The private sector will lead defense investment and development, with governments supporting companies in three ways, he said: identifying priority cooperation and investment areas; building an ecosystem with the infrastructure and financing companies need; and providing contracts and predictability on future demand. Saudi Arabia is concentrating investment on technologies it prioritizes now and in the near future, he added.
"The future of the sector is changing greatly. The entry of technologies into military and defense industries is an important topic. I believe both Saudi Arabia and Türkiye have the potential of their youth. Human resources and education in the two countries will be one of the most important foundations on which the future of this industry will be built," Khorayef said.
Saudi Arabia is focused on attracting experienced defense firms with technology development capacity, with SAMI and the Rukn program promoting investment opportunities, he said.
"The participation of about 100 Turkish companies shows their determination to understand Saudi needs and work with firms like SAMI," he added.
"I am pleased that the interests of Türkiye and Saudi Arabia in the defense industry overlap. More importantly, I am also pleased that our interests in this field coincide with Mr. Haluk Gorgun, whom I see as a friend. Allah willing, we will work together to develop this relationship," he said, as Türkiye and Saudi Arabia expand defense industry ties.
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