Erdogan describes his meetings with Saudi Arabia and Egypt as highly productive, emphasising broader cooperation
\n Ankara
\nT\u00fcrkiye and Saudi Arabia will enhance their defence industry cooperation, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his return flight from Egypt, noting the praise for the homegrown Turkish stealth fighter jet KAAN, with prototypes of the pioneering aircraft set to take flight this summer.
\n\u201cWe\u2019ve received a lot of positive feedback on KAAN. There is a joint investment with Saudi Arabia in this area, and we can implement this partnership at any moment,\u201d Erdogan told reporters following his visits to Riyadh and Cairo.
\nHe described KAAN as more than a military platform, calling it \u201ca symbol of T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s engineering capability and independent defence will.\u201d
\nAnkara and Riyadh signed what Erdogan described as \u201cmajor\u201d defence industry cooperation agreements during the visit, reflecting growing momentum in joint projects. He added that T\u00fcrkiye continued to prioritise meeting its own defence needs while also supporting allied countries.
\nErdogan also described his meetings with Saudi Arabia and Egypt as highly productive, emphasising broader cooperation on defence, energy, trade, and regional diplomacy.
\nEconomic ties and strategic agreements with Saudi Arabia
\nDuring talks in Riyadh with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, delegations signed four agreements and adopted a joint declaration covering multiple sectors.
\nErdogan noted that Saudi Arabia holds a \u201cspecial position\u201d for T\u00fcrkiye in defence industry cooperation, transportation, health, investment and contracting services.
\nBilateral trade volume reached approximately $8 billion in 2025, he said, while Turkish contractors have undertaken more than 400 projects in Saudi Arabia worth nearly $30b. He also pointed to future opportunities tied to major international events such as Expo 2030 and the 2034 FIFA World Cup, as well as the growing number of Saudi tourists in T\u00fcrkiye. Renewable energy partnership
\nEnergy cooperation was another key outcome of the visit. T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s Energy and Natural Resources Ministry signed an agreement with the Saudi Energy Ministry focused on investments in renewables.
\nUnder the deal, Saudi companies will build solar and wind power plants in T\u00fcrkiye with a combined capacity of 5,000 megawatts. Initial projects include two 1,000-megawatt solar plants in the cities of Sivas and Karaman, expected to provide electricity for approximately 2.1 million Turkish households.
\nThe projects will be financed through external funding and international credit mechanisms, with construction expected to begin in 2027 and local content targeted at around 50%.
\nStrategic dialogue with Egypt and regional cooperation
\nFollowing the Riyadh visit, Erdogan travelled to Cairo at the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for the second meeting of the T\u00fcrkiye-Egypt High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, after the first session in Ankara in September 2024.
\nEight documents, including a joint declaration, were signed during the Cairo meetings. Business forums involving private sector representatives were held in both Riyadh and Cairo.
\nErdogan said regional developments, particularly in Palestine and Syria, were discussed within a framework of \u201cregional ownership\u201d, emphasising cooperation among leading regional states.
\nUS-Iran tensions and regional stability
\nOn the ongoing tension between Iran and the United States, Erdogan expressed hope that tensions between the two countries will be resolved via dialogue, stressing the importance of establishing negotiations.
\nHe said he has held discussions with US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, as well as trilateral talks in Istanbul with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
\nThe president said T\u00fcrkiye is doing everything possible to reduce tensions without allowing the region to be dragged into a new conflict or chaos.
\n\u201cWe are clearly against military intervention against Iran,\u201d Erdogan said, emphasising dialogue as the only viable path forward. \u201cThe solution to problems is not conflict but meeting on common ground and negotiating.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Erdogan describes his meetings with Saudi Arabia and Egypt as highly productive, emphasising broader cooperation Ankara T\u00fcrkiye and Saudi Arabia will enhance their defence industry cooperation, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his return flight from Egypt, noting the praise for the homegrown Turkish stealth fighter jet KAAN, with prototypes of the pioneering aircraft […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":529766,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-529749","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n