By Feyza Gumusluoglu
DOHA: High-Tech Port, a defence industry fair, started in Doha on Tuesday to bring together Turkey and Qatar’s technology giants. Sixty-seven Turkish companies are showcasing latest innovations in the defence industry.
In an exclusive interview with The Peninsula, Turkey’s Defence Minister Vecdi Gonul expresses his views during his visit to the fair.
The fair is organised exclusively between Turkey and Qatar, where Turkish and Qatari businessman come together and present their projects. It also provides a platform where new areas of business may be discovered.
MUSIAD (Independent Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association) and its counterpart in Qatar organised the event with the support of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Emir of Qatar H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. It is a platform for displaying latest innovations and developments of high technology in Turkey. It is particularly important as Turkey organised the fair where it is exhibiting its defence industry for the first time outside of Turkey. We have held the fair in Ankara and then Istanbul, but Qatar is the first outside Turkey.
It is a clear indication that Turkey has reached a good level of high technology to show off outside its borders. It will have a great influence not only in Qatar but all around the world. Today, the biggest power is technology. Of course, human capital is still very important, but whoever has the highest technology will have more influence. Take China as an example. China has increased its influence in recent years. Why? China was the same China with a big population, but it did not have high technology in the past.
Relationship between Turkey and Qatar is exceptional and should set an example for others. Relations are extremely sincere and genuine, truly brotherly. Moreover, the two have no unpleasant memory in the history and look to the future together. We are constantly consulting each other on global issues. Qatar, despite its small size, is playing a big role, bigger than some other countries with larger territories and population. Qatar has a great influence now in the region. This is, of course, thanks to its leaders who have made right decisions at the right moment. For instance, Al Jazeera is competing with the world’s most prestigious channels such as CNN and BBC. This is something that many powerful countries could not have succeeded. Qatar also has taken important steps in the fields of culture and sports. It has made a great progress to provide better living conditions for its citizens. All these factors make Qatar an exceptional case study. Turkey is aware of this and we give a great deal of importance to Qatar. This defence fair is a clear indication of that.
Qatar usually purchases fighter jets or other military aircraft from the US or France. Will they buy from Turkey in the near future, such as F-16 jet?
F-16 is a very broad example. You consider F-16 as a jet only but it has a lot of components that have to be produced. And you can use these high-tech components in many fields. Our aim by this fair is to produce these kind of components together with Qatar. For instance, surveillance camera system produced by Turkish firms is exhibited in the fair. Qatar wants to have the same security system, so they will cooperate with the leading Turkish company, ASELSAN, in this regard. This security system gives you the ability to identify a specific object in a crowd. This is one of the many areas of cooperation.
Our cooperation in defence has reached a great level by mutual training. We will institutionalise this training by establishing a permanent foundation, or an academy, that will carry mutual military manoeuvres. Turkey has decided to establish this upon the request from Qatar. By having such foundation, Turkey will deploy a permanent military officer in Qatar. When you say ‘military base’, there are other things that come to minds. But, it is not going to be a military base, as you may think of. We will defend who against whom? We have no such intention. Our aim is to provide a mutual platform so that Turkish and Qatari military staff can have defence cooperation. Of course, the ultimate goal for each country is to protect its borders, but you can not achieve this goal without a professional trainings and manoeuvres. If we join our hands, we will be able to reach a certain standard. I would like to remind that Turkey is a member of the most successful defence system in the world history — Nato — and Turkey’s training, military manoeuvres are all at Nato standards. We want to share this expertise with our brothers.
I have no doubt that good relations will continue, as there are today. Because what is between Turkey and Qatar is beyond politics now, people of both countries have an attachment that they have never had before. Political parties have to take people’s tendencies into account. Turkey and Qatar will remain close friends, no matter which party rules Turkey. Besides, our President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the builder of this relationship in Turkey and, for sure, he will continue keeping up the good relations, as he will not be leaving his office after the elections. It has become a state policy now, it is no longer only a political party’s policy. Why? First of all, our common interests drive us to do so. We have to protect Turkey’s national interests, and Qatar has to protect its own. And our interests are parallel to each other. Second, as I said, relations are beyond politics. The brotherly relations between Turkish and Qatari people will always remain good, no matter who is in power.
The Peninsula
