Ankara to open three defense industry export offices abroad

Turkey has decided to take yet another step to boost its defense industry exports by launching three more promotional offices in Europe, Central Asia and the Gulf. According to anonymous Defense Ministry sources, Turkey has intensified efforts to that end in recent months. The sources said Turkey has already received an offer from Qatar to establish an office inside the country's General Staff headquarters, while the remaining two offices will be opened in Belgium and either Azerbaijan or Turkmenistan. The first such office last month opened in Washington, DC, headed by retired Air Marshal Maurice Lee McFann. Turkey's exports of defense industry products rose as high as $900 million this year, and the target for next year has been set at an unprecedented $1 billion. With the opening of the offices, Turkey hopes to strengthen its foreign policy influence as well as boost its exports to these three regions. Turkey wants to reach a total export volume of $500 billion – over four times the present figure – and become one of the world's top 10 economies by 2023, the centennial of the modern republic.