2023-04-28 21:28:09
Haluk Bayraktar, General Manager of Baykar Technology, made the following statements about Kılıçdaroğlu’s statements, TEKNOFEST and the agenda in a television program he participated in:
We are holding TEKNOFEST as part of the national technology project. We are partners in this. Weather conditions are very important as TEKNOFEST is held in an open area. An organization with competitions and shows. That’s why it’s done outdoors. We held a total of 7 TEKNOFESTs, including Baku. We were doing one year in Istanbul and one year in Anatolia. There is great interest from Anatolia. We do some competitions outside. We decided to organize 3 TEKNOFESTs on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of our Republic. in Izmir, Istanbul and Ankara. We canceled Izmir due to the earthquake. We will do it in Ankara in August. There’s no such thing as pushing history forward. It’s not an electoral thing. We already announced the dates last year.
“1 MILLION COMPETITORS APPLIED TO TEKNOFEST”
TEKNOFEST is the world’s largest aviation festival since it was first held. TEKNOFEST is not a commercial organization. It is a very different operation that triggers the dreams of young people. There are aviation organizations in the world, but there is a paid entry. At the stands set up here, companies do not exhibit their products to sell products. Our people show great trust. The fact that a 10-year-old boy touches the plane triggers his dream, which increases his commitment to the country. Unbelievable happiness and pride from 7 to 70. There are 41 technology competitions here. Rocket competition in the world is held in 2 countries, one of them is in Turkey. We need to prepare our country and our youth for the technology of the future. Goals for the future should be implemented concretely. Teams work for 1 year at TEKNOFEST. When we did it for the first time, 20 thousand contestants applied. 550 thousand visitors came. Currently, 1 million competitors and 330 thousand teams have applied. In other words, it has increased 50 times in just 5 years. These are very important achievements for the future of our country. Prototypes come here first. We introduced Kızılelma to our people for the first time in August 2022. We flew it 6 months after that. There is no other country in the world that can do this but Turkey. Hürjet made its first flight. All innovations are exhibited here for the first time. Then the product is developed. Our nation sees these developments step by step.
“WHEN THE TARGET IS SHOWN, THERE IS NO POLITICS, WHEN I DO THIS, IS I DOING POLITICS?”
Our Teknofest is not just Baykar’s. There are 102 stakeholder organizations here. We have universities here. There is great enthusiasm. 1 million of our young people participated in competitions for the technological fields of the future. A festival that works meticulously. It is not a commercial organisation. An organization for the people. There have been great achievements in the defense industry in the last 20 years in Turkey. Türkiye was in the position of a country that could not produce an infantry rifle until 2010. He was addicted to all technologies. We were buying UAVs from Israel. If Israeli pilots didn’t want to fly, they wouldn’t fly. While Türkiye was procuring many technologies from abroad, no one was criticizing it. Have you seen a politician from Turkey who criticizes Heron? UAVs were tried to be procured from the USA. Have you heard this critique? We achieve national success. It makes Turkey strong on the field. Why do we start to hear criticism when this is the case? Türkiye was in need of UAV and SİHA 15 years ago. Currently, Baykar is the world’s largest UAV and SİHA exporter. No one in the world can compete. Countries are asking for help from Turkey. In other words, Turkey has become both a regional power and a country that helps friendly geographies. It was presented to Azerbaijan in Karabakh in 2020. Shouldn’t that be appreciated? When the National SİHAs achieved significant success in the fight against the PKK, the first reaction came from CHP’s Sezgin Tanrıkulu. ‘ SİHAs are Jitem,’ he said. Which country are you a member of parliament? When Sezgin Tanrıkulu says this, Kılıçdaroğlu is asked about the issue. No answer is given. And Tanrıkulu is now the CHP’s first candidate in Diyarbakır. When I am targeted, politics does not happen, when I do this, am I doing politics?
“HE SAYS I WILL GIVE TO THE US COMPANY TO CONGRATULATE”
This attack is no exception. Systematic attack. CHP Deputy Sevgi Erdan Kılıç. What did he say himself? ‘As a subsidiary company, Baykar is paving the way. It is enlarged by recruiting ASELSAN’s engineers.’ Totally lie. We are being slandered. This is being asked to Kılıçdaroğlu. He doesn’t say anything. Continues. T3 Foundation. My father has a will for us. ‘You will not get support from anyone’. Before the metropolitan municipality elections, our foundation was subjected to slander. Ağbaba from CHP said ‘T3 Foundation received 41 million TL aid’. That’s when we made the call, we said, ‘Explain’. Now he is a parliamentary candidate from Malatya. Last but not least, Kılıçdaroğlu. Instead of saying ‘Congratulations’ on the first day of TEKNOFEST, what does it mean ‘We will allocate Atatürk Airport to a US company’? If our President comes out and says, ‘I allocated it to a Turkish company’, what would they say? They say he is giving away this place. Is this statement of Kılıçdaroğlu normal? Nuri Demirağ is the first private sector entrepreneur of this country. He establishes the Sky School here. He makes airplanes between 1935-1945. But it is blocked so much that even one of the planes he built does not have an example in our museums. Only used aluminum pipes are exhibited in the toy museum. Vecihi Hürkuş. He’s been imprisoned. There are many initiatives, tremendous strides have been made. But it was covered so much that Türkiye was handed over to agencies afterwards.
“THAT’S WHO Slandered Us Rising”
Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu visited Baykar in 2012. We told him about this vision. We hosted many guests like Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu. The important thing is to protect the national technology move project. What problem would we have if we owned them? I don’t say it to brag, but we get medals from Africa, Ukraine. The medal we received is the medal Turkey received. Those who throw iftar to us are rising. If it is claimed, why are those who slander us rising? Am I doing politics when I say this? They say to Baykar that he is afraid of competition? There is an unmanned aerial competition in TEKNOFEST. Thousands of technology teams participate in the competitions. We are currently working on raising generations. If we were afraid of such a thing, would we do such a thing? If we are doing something in our own factory, it can be under the carpet as in the past. Kılıçdaroğlu was also acquainted with my late father. He had dialogue. We told him. While nobody in Turkey knew about us, Israel’s largest company said, ‘We want to work with you’. He told us, ‘This business is above politics, we have to protect it’. The family is the job, the person’s name is irrelevant. Why is it uncomfortable when it’s national?
“OUR BIGGEST GOAL IS TO MAKE THE DEFENSE INDUSTRY SUSTAINABLE”
If I do not oppose those who say ‘I will allocate it to the USA’ instead of celebrating this place, it means that I have caused the appointment of a trustee to the national company of this country the day after tomorrow. When I say this, why am I doing politics? ‘It’s a big risk for Türkiye. He got up tomorrow and sold it to the Qataris, he says about Baykar. I am dealing with the leaders of 28 countries, no one wants to buy. Companies producing products in the defense industry are completely subordinate to the state. It is done with the permission of the state. It is an industry that operates entirely with the permission of the state. I am also the president of SAHA Istanbul. Our biggest goal is to make the defense industry sustainable. Our aim is to gain more private sector. This is how the world goes.
“BAYKAR CANNOT BE SALE TO A DIFFERENT COUNTRY”
Our target is an industrial cluster to create an in-depth eco-system in the Turkish defense sector. In all sectors, the sale of companies that do critical work in our country abroad should be under the control of the state. A decree was issued regarding the transfer of shares abroad by companies. Who took this to the Constitutional Court? The same CHP did. We don’t do these things for business, to maximize income. We also told Kılıçdaroğlu. Israel came to us in 2005. There is no such thing as the sale of Baykar to a different country, neither yesterday, nor today, nor tomorrow. There is no sound when receiving from a foreigner. He had a revolutionary car. 23 engineers built cars in 123 days. It was blocked for simple reasons. It took 60 years for this country to get Togg. Baykar started 20 years ago with a team of 5 people. He was dealing with a 5 kilo plane. Now we are dealing with 6 ton planes. The Red Apple is flying, the Raider is flying, Why is it not appreciated? A Greek Archbishop also does not appreciate the mentality of this understanding. Millions flow here. Why would I have a problem with entering politics? My goal is clear. Is it politics to respond to slander?
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