National Defence Minister Mr. İsmet Yılmaz, Defence Minister of Kazakhstan Adilbek Jaksıbekov, Undersecretary for Defence Industries Mr. Murad Bayar, Aselsan Chairman of the Board Mr. Necmettin Baykul, General Manager of Aselsan Mr. Cengiz Ergeneman, Aselsan Deputy General Manager Mr. Özcan Kahramangil, KAE Company General Manager Mr. Tarık Ziya Kaboğlu, Kazakh and Turkish representatives of defence industry and many invitees attended the formal ceremony held in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana. Both Ministers officially opened the Kazakhstan Aselsan Engineering company by cutting the ribbon. Minister Yılmaz and his counterpart Jaksıbekov toured the factory and gathered information on the existing capacities in the facility.

Aselsan Deputy General Manager Mr. Özcan Kahramangil made significant comments to the press at the opening ceremony of the facility. Kahramangil stated that the factory aims making sales to regional countries and former Soviet Union countries. Kahramangil expressed that Kazakhstan has importance for their company and that they established this facility considering the good relations between Turkey and Kazakhstan. Kahramangil mentioned that as Aselsan, they had achieved 34 million US Dollars sale in Kazakhstan until now and added that they aim a sale of 1 billion US Dollars in the next ten years at the new facility. The Customs Union agreement in effect between Russia and Kazakhstan is expected to become an important parameter for KAE Company to increase its efficiency at the Russian market in the future.