Erdogan announces Türkiye among world’s top three in UAV technology at TEKNOFEST event

In a speech delivered at the TEKNOFEST Award Ceremony in Lefkosa on Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that Türkiye ranks among the world’s top three countries in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology.

He pledged to continue advancing in this field with unwavering determination and enthusiasm.

Erdogan expressed confidence in the future, adding, “With the TEKNOFEST youth, the projects rising across TRNC, and our strategic initiatives, we will continue to stand here for centuries to come.”

“We, as the Turkish nation and the Turkish Cypriots, are the hosts of these lands. Those who do not know this should know, and those who have not heard should hear,” Erdogan declared, reaffirming Türkiye’s strong relations with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

TRNC President Ersin Tatar, for his part, also praised Türkiye’s defence industry achievements, saying: “The institutions behind Türkiye’s recent successes in the national defence industry are monuments of pride for the entire Turkic world.”

Türkiye's premier technology, aviation, and space event, TEKNOFEST, had its latest edition in the TRNC and attracted thousands of people in Lefkosa, hosting around 62,000 visitors on the first day of the four-day event.

Organised by the Turkish Technology Team (T3) Foundation and Türkiye’s Industry and Technology Ministry, TEKNOFEST has been held annually since 2018 with the support of dozens of government bodies, private sector partners, and universities.

While the event is traditionally held in various Turkish cities in even-numbered years and in Istanbul in odd-numbered years, the TRNC becomes the second international host after Azerbaijan, which welcomed TEKNOFEST for its 10th edition.

In 2024, the event in the southern Turkish city of Adana attracted approximately 1.1 million visitors.