Hosted by the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, the 'WA Western Anatolia Trade Forum' brought together the business world and civil society organizations. Speaking on the first day of the forum, Assoc. Prof. Sadık Akyar emphasized the importance of the Efes Exercise for promoting our defense industry, stating, "Izmir could become a fair center for the defense industry thanks to this."
On the first day of the forum held at the Ahmet Adnan Saygun Art Center, Sadık Akyar, a retired Staff Colonel and a faculty member of the Department of International Relations at Girne American University, and Mustafa Çeliker, the founder of Çeliker Technology Inc., addressed the participants during the session titled 'Defense Industry and Future' moderated by Kadir Uçar, Chairman of the Board of the Aegean Defense Industry, Aviation, and Space Clustering Association (ESAS).
Assoc. Prof. Akyar noted that when people think of the defense industry, they first think of weapons. However, he explained, "The defense industry actually encompasses a wide range of products in every aspect of life, from the vest a soldier wears to the helmet he puts on his head, from the canned food he eats to the water he drinks. It would be very beneficial for our companies capable of producing these products to follow the tenders opened by NATO and the UN."
Assoc. Prof. Akyar highlighted that the Aegean Region's strength lies in tourism and that it should strategize based on this strength. He stated that all activities related to the defense industry, such as congresses, fairs, and exhibitions, could be held in Izmir. Assoc. Prof. Akyar mentioned that the annual Efes Exercise is an excellent opportunity for this area. He suggested that organizing a fair similar to IDEF, or even much larger, during next year's Efes Exercise would significantly contribute to the Turkish Defense Industry.
He pointed out that the most crucial question asked by importing countries in the defense industry is, "Does the producing country use this product? If so, how? Where?" Assoc. Prof. Akyar expressed his belief that holding a major international demonstration of the products showcased at the fair, outside of the exercise, would greatly benefit our Defense Industry.
