Speaking to industrialists from OSTİM at a program held on May 23, 2023, the Minister of National Defense of the Republic of Turkey, Hulusi Akar, said: “You will not make us dependent on anyone; you will do it yourselves. Thank God, many great things have been done, and will continue to be done.”
Speaking at the opening of the program, OSTİM Board Chairman Orhan Aydın described the work of OSTİM's industrialists in the defense industry. Aydın recalled that in 1974, during the Cyprus Peace Operation, OSTİM industrialists wrote a letter to the relevant state authorities stating that they could meet all the needs of the army.
Addressing industrialists from OSTİM, Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar said: "When you succeed, Turkey wins, the Turkish Armed Forces win. All of Africa, all of Europe, all of Central Asia are waiting for you. I congratulate you for your efforts to date. Turkey is a very large and powerful country with its values, history, geography, and army. Our sphere of influence has grown; don't stop in Africa and Central Asia, use this sphere of influence."
Recalling the nationalization efforts in the defense industry, Akar said, "You will not make us dependent on anyone; you will do it yourselves. Thank God, many great things have been done, and they will continue to be done."
A report outlining the sectoral challenges faced by our member companies and proposed solutions was presented to Mr. Hulusi Akar by Mr. İbrahim Yarsan, Chairman of the OSSA Board of Directors.
The report includes:
Transfer of qualified personnel from subcontractors to main contractors
The reflection of salary increases made by SMEs to avoid losing personnel on production costs
Difficulty accessing financing and bank loans for SMEs
The pitting of main contractors and SMEs against each other in tenders
The awarding of prototype and mass production to different companies due to low-price policies, resulting in decreased product quality and inability to ensure consistency in quality,
Topics such as these were included.
