President Erdoğan made statements on Türkiye’s defense industry and relations with the United States at the “100 Years of Friendship: Türkiye-United States” event held in New York, where he was attending the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
Erdoğan said Türkiye had become a globally sought-after actor in the defense industry, noting that defense exports had risen from $248 million 20 years ago to more than $10 billion today. He also said Türkiye’s share of global defense equipment exports had increased by more than 120 percent compared with five years ago.
Erdoğan said Turkish defense companies had reached a level enabling them to invest in the United States and noted that he believed Türkiye would soon rank among the world’s top 10 countries in defense industry exports. He said broader cooperation, including joint production opportunities with the United States, would serve the common interests of both countries, adding that they were ready to advance cooperation in energy, nuclear energy, LNG, civil aviation and high technology.
Target of $100 billion in trade with the US
Erdoğan said Türkiye and the United States had made a strong start to the second century of their diplomatic relations. He said the dialogue he had conducted with President Trump had produced progress in various areas of bilateral relations, adding that the meeting in Washington and Trump’s visit to Ankara in July had strengthened the alliance between the two countries.
Erdoğan said trade between the two countries had doubled over the past 10 years, exceeding $38 billion in 2025 and reaching $28 billion in the first eight months of this year. Saying that trade volume was expected to reach $40 billion by the end of the year, Erdoğan described the $100 billion trade target set with Trump as realistic and achievable.
Erdoğan said close dialogue between Türkiye and the United States had produced positive results on many issues extending from Africa to Asia, particularly the Middle East. He said political relations should be addressed together with economic and commercial ties.
Economic and investment messages
Erdoğan said Türkiye was located in a strategic geography and had maintained its stability despite the crises around it. He noted that Türkiye had strong ties with many regions, from Syria and Iraq to the Caucasus and North Africa.
Erdoğan said Türkiye’s national income had risen from $236 billion when they came to power to $1.8 trillion. He said per capita income would exceed $20,000 by the end of 2026 and noted that the amount of foreign direct investment entering Türkiye over the past 24 years had approached $300 billion.
Erdoğan said the rubble had been cleared within three years after the 2023 earthquakes, noting that more than 455,000 homes had been completed in the earthquake zone and handed over to earthquake victims. He argued that these developments demonstrated the resilience of the Turkish economy against shocks.
Referring to the investment program announced in April, Erdoğan said the corporate tax rate for investors had been reduced from 25 percent to 12.5 percent. He said earnings from transit trade in the Istanbul Finance Center and designated industrial zones had been exempted from corporate tax, adding that the practice had also been extended across Türkiye.
Türkiye-United States ties
Erdoğan said he was pleased that Turkish citizens living in the United States were strongly integrated into American society while maintaining their ties with Türkiye. He said they were proud of members of the Turkish-American community who stood out in politics, business, science, culture, the arts and sports.
Erdoğan expressed hope that the ties between Türkiye and the United States, as well as the framework of their alliance, would grow stronger in the second century of diplomatic relations. He praised the contributions of congressional, business, academic, cultural and artistic circles. At the end of the program, Hamdi Ulukaya, chairman of the US-Türkiye Business Council, presented Erdoğan with a gift to commemorate the event.
