Speaking at the groundbreaking Teknofest, Türkiye's renowned festival showcasing the nation's ambitions in technology and defense, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan emphasized the country's progress on Friday. “Teknofest clearly shows that dependence on foreign resources and assembly work is not our destiny,” Erdoğan stated in the city of Adana.
He highlighted that the share of domestic production in Türkiye's defense industry has reached 80%. “In unmanned aerial vehicles, we are among the top three countries in the world," he noted.
Türkiye has been actively seeking to reduce its reliance on foreign defense technologies in recent years. Erdoğan noted, “We are now able to export to countries that previously refused to sell us defense technologies.”
He described Teknofest as “a youth epic” and “a technology revolution,” representing the strong voices of idealistic youth emerging from Türkiye's fertile Anatolian lands.
The five-day festival, which began on Wednesday in Adana, features airshows by several homegrown aircraft, showcasing Türkiye's growing capabilities in technology and defense.
Since its inception in 2018, Teknofest has become a symbol of Türkiye's technological aspirations, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
Beyond competitions, Teknofest serves as a vital platform for nurturing young entrepreneurs. Over the years, the festival has helped launch numerous startups, and officials hope it will continue to fuel Türkiye's ambition to become a prominent player in the global technology landscape.