ANKARA
Türkiye’s expanding defense industry and increased government investment are creating new opportunities for cooperation with its NATO ally Australia, the nation’s defense industry minister said Tuesday.
“I think there are great opportunities around cooperation in the defense industry as well. The Turkish defense industry is growing. The Turkish government’s putting lots of investment in there, and we’re always open to working with NATO partners,” Pat Conroy told Anadolu on the sidelines of the NATO Defense Industry Forum, held alongside day one of the NATO summit in the Turkish capital Ankara.
Conroy praised Türkiye for hosting both the NATO summit and the Defense Industry Forum, saying the parallel events come at a crucial moment for the alliance.
“We’ve been overwhelmed by the hospitality we’ve experienced, and my compliments to the Turkish government for hosting an important event. I think it’s a great move to have the Defense Industry Forum with the NATO leaders’ summit,” he said.
He stressed that NATO’s efforts to increase defense spending must be matched by greater industrial capacity.
“One of the key topics that NATO is grappling with is how to increase our defense industrial base. Lots of countries are increasing their spending on defense, but we need to increase the defense industrial base to go with that. Otherwise, we’ll just be spending more to buy the same equipment,” he said.
On bilateral ties, he said they are at a peak.
“I think the relationships between Turkey and Australia are at an all-time high,” he said.
Conroy said visiting Anitkabir on Monday and laying a wreath at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the Turkish Republic, was “a huge honor.”
“It’ll stay with me to the day I die,” he said.
Conroy added that Australia supported Türkiye’s successful bid to host COP31, the United Nations climate change conference, this November, saying the event would further strengthen bilateral ties.
“Our bonds go back to 1915, and our friendship is very strong,” he added, referring to the legendary Australian and Turkish soldiers on the battlefield of Canakkale (Gallipoli), during World War I.
