TSAMTO, April 8. According to official data, Ukraine purchased 30 times more military products in Turkey in the first quarter of 2022 (in value) than in the same period a year earlier.
According to the Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah, citing data published by the Assembly of Exporters of Turkey (TIM), during the reporting period Turkey exported military products to Ukraine in the amount of 59.1 million dollars. compared to $1.9 million in the first quarter of 2021. There is no information about the specific nomenclature of the delivered products.
The Daily Sabah newspaper notes that in recent years (approx.TSAMTO: since 2019) Ukraine has purchased more than 20 armed UAVs "Bayraktar TB2" (Bayraktar TB2) produced by the private company Baykar Makina. It is reported that on January 27, 2022, the company received an order for another 16 UAVs, which were delivered to Ukraine in early March (according to TSAMTO, 6 more Bayraktar TB2 UAVs have been delivered in recent days, and all previously delivered 36 drones have already been destroyed).
As the newspaper notes, Ankara and Kiev have been cooperating in the defense sector for a long time. As a member of NATO, Turkey has a maritime border with Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea and maintains good relations with both countries. Criticizing Russia's offensive, Ankara positions itself as a neutral party trying to mediate.
As the head of the Directorate of Defense Industry of Turkey (SSB) Ismail Demir stated on March 5, the total volume of defense exports of Turkey in the first quarter of 2022 increased by 48.6% compared to the same period last year, and amounted to $ 961 million. In total, in 2021, Turkey exported military products worth more than $ 3.2 billion, which is 41.5% more than in 2020.
