Turkey-Israel defense projects well armored

There are no problems in Turkish and Israeli relations or ongoing joint defense projects, according to the Turkish Undersecretary for Defense Industry, Murad Bayar. Recent reports in the media suggested some military projects between Turkey and Israel could be canceled after tension escalated between the two countries over the latest Gaza operation and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s outburst in Davos and subsequent departure.

"It is not the right approach to expect problems. These are long-term projects and no last-minute changes can be made for any of them. It takes time. Besides, Turkey and Israel mutually benefit from these projects," Bayar said, responding to the questions from journalists yesterday at the International Defense Exhibition and Conference, or IDEX-2009, in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

The projects were carried out in line with the government’s policies.

The project was also agreed by a committee headed by the prime minister and with the participation of the chief of General Staff and the Defense Ministry, Bayar said. There would be no change in the implementation of the ongoing joint projects, he said.

Turkey and Israel are conducting joint military exercises and have a strong partnership in terms of military equipment and arms. Trade volume between Turkey and Israel was $2.6 billion in 2007 and some suggest at least $1.8 billion of this can be attributed to military equipment trade, according to daily Hürriyet’s Web site.

Bayar also said that the global financial crisis currently has not impacted the defense industry in the country because the projects being carried out in the sector had been preplanned and long-term projects. The crisis wasn’t expected to have a negative impact on the defense industry in the short-term, according to Bayar. Source