Minister of National Defence İsmet Yılmaz, Deputy Minister of Science, Industry and Technology Davut Davranoğlu, Undersecretary for Defence Industries Murad Bayar, Deputy Undersecretaries of the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Economy and Chairman of Ankara Chamber of Commerce Nurettin Özdebir, OSTİM’s (Organized Industrial Zone) Chairman of the Board Orhan Aydın, TSKGV’s (Turkish Armed Forces Foundation) General Manager Hayrettin Uzun and SaSaD Members of the Board attended the meeting which was participated and conducted by 118 members of SaSaD. 

In his speech at the meeting, the National Defence Minister İsmet Yılmaz said, “Despite the recession observed in the defence expenses around the World after the global crisis (the very first decrease in 2011 compared with the observed prices of 2010 and 0.2% increase seen in real prices), Turkish Defence and Aerospace Industry’s total annual turnover increased to the figure of 4,8 billion US Dollars (growth of 9% compared to the turnover of 2011 which was 4,4 billion US Dollars) and export of this industry rose to 1 billion and 262 million US Dollars (from the level of 1,089 billion US Dollars’ worth export in 2011 the growth is 14,7%) and these figures indicate the national and international success of this sector”.  Yılmaz mentioned that the sector invested 772 million and 751 thousand US Dollars (200 million of this figure is covered from the equity capital) in R&D and added that an increase of 15% compared with the former years’ figures (672 million US Dollars) was observed. Yılmaz stated that the number of indigenous products entering into the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) has been increasing day by day and this contributed to the export potential of the sector players and added that he did not have any concerns about the sustainment of sector’s performance in the future years. Following National Defence Minister İsmet Yılmaz’s speech, Phillipp Reuter, Director of Frost and Sullivan Turkey made a presentation on the Advanced Technologies and Developing Markets of Defence and Aerospace.