The Great Force: Joint Future of Turkey and Qatar
Defence Turkey: Dear Mr. Kurt, first of all we would like to thank you for your time. Could you please inform us on your organizational structure, activities, goals and mission as the High Tech Port by Independent Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (MUSIAD)?
With a new form of implementation realized in 2010 at the 13th MUSIAD Fair, the opportunity was given to demonstrate the new technologies developed in our country at the fairs and events. By means of this new opportunity, the inventor and the project owner were brought together and introduction of the newly developed technologies to the public opinion was initiated. This project, which continued throughout the 14th MUSIAD International Fair in 2012, became exultant in 2014 and paved the way to a brand new study within the scope of MUSIAD International Fairs.
High Tech Port by MUSIAD is a vision project developed by the Independent Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (MUSIAD) in order to rescue Turkey from the middle-income trap. In this sense, as the owner of the idea and the leader of the organization, I would like to state that today High Tech Port by MUSIAD became a highly appreciated brand that is owned and embraced by the presidents of two states.
We fully believe that this project will bring our country a step further towards its ideals identified for year 2023. We aim to strengthen Turkey’s perception of advanced technology and bring Turkey’s companies producing cutting edge technology together with the inventors, project owners and target markets while making the debut of Turkey’s technological products to world markets.
Defence Turkey: You are preparing to carry the MUSIAD fair to the international arena that has been taking place in domestic level for many years. Which Qatari and Turkish companies will be participating in this fair that will be held in Qatar? What would you like to say on the delegation meetings, planned events and activities?
High-Tech Port by MUSIAD Qatar that will be bringing the major defence industry players of the two countries bears the characteristic of being the first fair that is jointly organized by the two countries. The defence industry actors of Turkey and Qatar will be seizing the opportunity to cooperate in the event. High Tech Port by MUSIAD Qatar will be taking place under the auspices of the Qatar Emirate Sheik Temim Bin Hamed Al Sani as appreciated and suggested by our President. Qatar considered this fair as a governmental event and is organizing it as an official event of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar. Even the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar attends our organization meetings. In this respect, the Ministry of Defence, Armed Forces, Ministry of Internal Affairs, ICT Qatar, Qatar Technology and Science Park and Qatar Airways are the Qatari partners of the project. Therefore, this organization is being organized in the state level and is expanding to a broader base.
Regarding Turkey’s part, firstly I would like to state that Turkish defence and aerospace industry made a great headway in line with its quite aggressive and successful marketing strategy in collaboration with our Undersecretary for Defence Industries Prof. İsmail Demir. In this point, we need to regard our Undersecretary and his team as an important opportunity for our defence and aerospace industry. It would be appropriate to initially analyze this fact and then evaluate the participation. Taking a look at the events in general held by the foreign countries, we are presently the potential record breakers in terms of the participation rate as ours may be the event in greatest scale for many years. BMC, Aselsan, Havelsan, TAI, Roketsan and Turkish Technic being in the first place, a total of 67 Turkish companies is expected to be in an area of approximately 3.000 square meters. We are attaching great importance to the productivity of this event. Both in the sense of defence and aerospace, there is a significant level of participation and we project that in correlation with this participation level, many important steps will be initiated within the scope of the event.
Moreover, the 19th International Business Forum (IBF) will simultaneously be held in Qatar under the title “Cooperation on Defence Industry and High Technology amongst Muslim Countries”. IBF members from 30 establishing countries will be attending this event.
Defence Turkey: Following the MUSIAD fair to be held in Qatar for the first time, which fairs and events in which places of the world are planned to be held?
We are displaying an important business model in Qatar and the defence and aerospace industry will be testing this business model there. The model and will we put forth could be defined as a business development model free of global competition and we believe this model would be more appropriate for Turkish defence and aerospace industry. Next year, in November, we will be organizing this event in İstanbul again with the participation of our President. And this time, the representatives from Pakistan and Malaysia will be attending our event. In 2017, we plan to realize our event in another gulf country. For the time being, High Tech Port by MUSIAD has its event schedule planned for the next ten years. We need to place High Tech Port to the following platform: A platform that enables the business development on behalf of Turkey’s high technology and defence and aerospace industry.
Defence Turkey: What are your expectations from the future domestic and international MUSIAD fairs and events?
High Tech Port by MUSIAD is a result oriented business development-marketing project. In respect with the Turkish defence and aerospace industry, it should be considered as a business development platform between the governments. Our main goal in these types of events is to bring our participants together with their proper, targeted and identified counterparts. For instance, during the event in Qatar, we will be creating a platform that our aerospace companies and institutions will seize the opportunity to meet the representatives of Qatar Airways and Qatari Ministry of Defence while bringing the cyber security specialists together with the ICT Qatar and private sector entrepreneurs of Qatar.
Our vision is as follows: Those, who are capable of managing and directing the technology, will be able to rule the world and be powerful; and Turkey’s breakthrough from the middle income trap will be through the technological progress. This project will enable the capacity for the establishment of a “Joint Venture” with the active funds from the Gulf Region. Moreover, it will allow the improvement of the existing commercial relations and investments with the countries of the region while expanding the business and communication network. Our aim here is to demonstrate that Turkish defence industry has capacity to fulfill the Middle East/Gulf countries’ technology requirements and searches for market players.
Defence Turkey: Lastly, is there a message you would like to convey to the readers of the Defence Turkey magazine?
As a conclusion, I would like to underline that Turkey’s breakthrough will be towards “the development of high technology oriented strategic sectors and these sectors’ selling their products to the world while producing added value”. The world is dominated by the directors of the technology rather than the owners of the capital. High Tech Port by MUSIAD Qatar is our sector’s project for developing an essential business development model with Qatar while building a future together. We identified the motto of this project as “The Great Force: Joint Future of Turkey and Qatar” and implemented our plan accordingly. We are actively corresponding with our participant companies and institutions. Through your magazine, once again I would like to express that each company and institution should take their capabilities into consideration and then prepare their joint business development models and act accordingly.
