SIPRI: Turkey rises to 11th in global arms exports, market share increased by 122% in last four years

According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Turkey has risen to 11th place in global arms exports and increased its market share from 0.9 percent to 1.8 percent; this corresponds to a 122 percent jump. Cumhuriyet newspaper relayed the figures in connection with the economic dimension of the Mecca and Badr agreements.

According to the Defense and Aerospace Industries Exporters Association (SSİ), a total of 54 billion dollars in defense exports was realized during the 2012-2026 period. Of this figure, 30 billion dollars, or 55 percent, was achieved in the last four years. In other words, the exports of the last four years surpassed the previous decade.

Turkey's largest arms buyers are ranked as follows according to SIPRI: Pakistan 16 percent, United Arab Emirates 12 percent, Ukraine 8.4 percent.

Under the framework of the Badr Accord, unmanned aerial vehicles, attack boats, and armored vehicles are being sold to Qatar; corvettes are being built for Pakistan; joint tank production is underway with Indonesia. The economic objective of the Mecca Agreement is assessed to be equipping Pakistani troops with Turkish-made weapons through Saudi Arabian financing.

The ratification process of the agreements will begin on October 27 in the TBMM Foreign Affairs Commission. The inclusion in the 16-article text of a provision that member countries cannot withdraw from the agreement for ten years is being interpreted as a long-term export commitment.

This picture also has a political cost: Ankara has effectively assumed the U.S. security burden in the Middle East through these agreements, adopted a position parallel to Israel's interests against the Houthis, and positioned itself on the front against Iran and its allies in the broader alignment.