Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır said Turkey has doubled its share of global trade and manufacturing value added over the past two decades, speaking Saturday at the International Economy Summit in Sapanca.
Kacır said Turkey’s manufacturing value added rose from $41 billion in 2002 to $246 billion last year. He said industrial output is now 31% above its pre‑pandemic level, while several major European economies remain below early‑2020 production levels.
He said Turkey’s export growth in recent years has been driven largely by medium‑ and high‑technology products, with such goods reaching $112 billion last year. Kacır said the number of countries to which Turkey exports competitively has expanded significantly due to logistics investments and supply‑chain positioning.
Kacır said Turkey allocates 1.5% of its national income to research and development, with total R&D spending reaching $20 billion. He said private‑sector R&D investment is approaching $14 billion annually, and more than 12,800 technology firms operate in 114 technoparks.
On the defense and aerospace sector, Kacır said annual sales have risen from about $1 billion two decades ago to more than $20 billion, with exports exceeding $10 billion. He said more than 1,400 R&D projects are underway with a combined contract value near $150 billion.
Kacır said Turkey has developed many defense technologies domestically, which he argued has strengthened the sector’s capabilities. He said the government aims to expand cooperation between defense programs and civilian industrial sectors.