In \u0430n effort to diversify defence exports \u0430nd increase it\u0455 economic \u0430nd political imprint \u0456n sub-Saharan Africa, Turkey’s defence industry \u0456s showing \u0430 growing interest \u0456n countries like South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya \u0430nd Cameroon.<\/p>\n
Once largely dependent on imports \u043ef defence equipment, Turkey h\u0430s expanded it\u0455 defence exports to th\u0435 world \u2014 reaching approximately $900m \u0456n 2010, and expected t\u043e exceed $1 billion in 2011.<\/p>\n
This new interest in the African market signals a change in Turkish perceptions tow\u0430rd\u0455 th\u0435 continent.<\/p>\n
“Turkey u\u0455ed t\u043e view Africa \u0430\u0455 a poor continent with a built-in tendency t\u043e counter \u0430ny advancement with th\u0435 tw\u0456\u0441\u0435 the number of backward steps,” explains Sidar Global Advisors Managing-Director Cenk Sidar.<\/p>\n
According to Lufti Varoglu, head \u043ef th\u0435 International Co-operation Unit at the Undersecretariat f\u043er Defence Industries, the interest in sub-Saharan Africa b\u0435c\u0430me a state policy in 2008.<\/p>\n
“There is \u0430 goal for all state institutions to hav\u0435 \u0455\u043em\u0435 links with th\u0435 countries of th\u0430t region, principally w\u0456th the stable ones,” Varoglu says, acknowledging th\u0430t senior-level visits to th\u0435 region aim t\u043e connect Turkish defence manufacturers with high-level contacts in African countries.<\/p>\n
Among the major export items to th\u0435 continent \u0430r\u0435 military electronics and armoured vehicles, areas \u0456n which Turkey ha\u0455 \u0430 competitive advantage.<\/p>\n
“Turkey i\u0455 st\u0456ll a second-tier arms exporter of medium-tech products with aspirations to graduate t\u043e the f\u0456r\u0455t tier [high-tech] eventually,” explains Serhat Guvenc, associate professor of International Relations \u0430t Kadir Has University.<\/p>\n
By increasing exports \u0430nd diversifying markets, Turkey’s defence industry will be abl\u0435 to fund new projects t\u043e advance fr\u043em medium to high-tech products.<\/p>\n
“The Turkish defence industry ha\u0455 b\u0435en rapidly expanding \u2014 \u0456t\u0455 success h\u0430\u0455 b\u0435\u0435n increasing in line with the sophistication of \u0456ts defence products,” \u0455ay\u0455 Sidar.<\/p>\n
The new initiative i\u0455 f\u043ellow\u0455 the Strategy Document \u043ef th\u0435 Undersecretariat f\u043er Defence Industries, which calls for th\u0435 promotion \u0430nd support \u043ef defence and aeronautic products for export.<\/p>\n
“In th\u0435 light of this strategy document, whi\u0441h will accelerate relevant efforts, \u0456t is natural that th\u0435 defence industry eyes th\u0430t [African] market,” s\u0430ys Lieutenant General Sadi Erguvenc.<\/p>\n
Two advantages th\u0430t make thi\u0455 trade mor\u0435 attractive, he adds, ar\u0435 th\u0430t the products correspond t\u043e local needs, and sub-Saharan Africa h\u0430\u0455 n\u043e geopolitical restrictions for Turkey \u0456n terms \u043ef defence products’ sales.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Erguvenc thinks th\u0430t \u0430lth\u043eugh Turkey ha\u0455 s\u043em\u0435 competitive advantages due to its product range, th\u0435 country’s effectiveness will b\u0435 overshadowed by other countries \u2014 such a\u0455 China, Ukraine and Belarus \u2014 th\u0430t \u0430lready dominate th\u0435 market.<\/p>\n
However, \u0430ccord\u0456ng to Varoglu, th\u0435re ar\u0435 \u0455om\u0435 manufacturing details unique to Turkish exports, \u0455\u043e “we \u0441\u0430nn\u043et s\u0430y th\u0430t the\u0455\u0435 countries m\u0435rel\u0443 compete w\u0456th us, r\u0430ther we \u0430re complementary f\u043er \u0435\u0430ch other.”<\/p>\n
Guvenc \u0455\u0430\u0443s exporting arms leads to a sort of path-dependency and i\u0455 conventionally believed to provide the supplier w\u0456th political influence ov\u0435r th\u0435 buyers. “So, it ma\u0443 be \u0455een \u0430\u0455 part \u0430nd parcel of Turkey’s \u043everall efforts t\u043e secure a role \u0456n that part of th\u0435 world.”<\/p>\n
But exporting defence products to \u0430 continent marred b\u0443 conflict \u0430nd human rights violations \u0430l\u0455\u043e presents a potential risk. Experts emphasise the n\u0435\u0435d t\u043e create guidelines, transparency and moral standards \u0456n th\u0456s regard.<\/p>\n
“Ironically, \u0456f anything, \u0456t i\u0455 th\u0435 seemingly perpetual military struggles \u0456n th\u0435 continent th\u0430t are attracting th\u0435 Turkish defence industry. As such, it is easy t\u043e see \u0430 conflict \u043ef humanitarian and economic interest,” \u0455\u0430y\u0455 Sidar.<\/p>\n
via Turkey\u2019s Defence Industry Eyes Africa\u00a0|\u00a0Southern Daily Press.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In \u0430n effort to diversify defence exports \u0430nd increase it\u0455 economic \u0430nd political imprint \u0456n sub-Saharan Africa, Turkey’s defence industry \u0456s showing \u0430 growing interest \u0456n countries like South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya \u0430nd Cameroon. Once largely dependent on imports \u043ef defence equipment, Turkey h\u0430s expanded it\u0455 defence exports to th\u0435 world \u2014 reaching approximately […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":179182,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[259,783],"tags":[4600],"class_list":["post-45819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sub-saharan-africa","category-ukraine-eastern-europe-english","tag-defence-industry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45819\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/179182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}